Hopes and Visions
by Maureen Lilith Hart
Summary: Sequel to Curses and Emeralds. It begins just before Elphaba and Fiyero move to the Emerald City. Many twists to come....
1. Prologue

Hopes and Visions

by

Maureen Lilith Hart

Prologue

The time between the wedding and Fiyero and Elphaba's move to the city passed calmly enough until the day Fiyero was away from home visiting Colverus. He had been hesitant to accept the invitation because Elphaba seemed very tired, and he feared a recurrence of her bouts of pain. Elphaba had encouraged him to go, reasoning that it was the least they owed Cole for all of his kindness to them.

Once she was alone, Elphaba considered returning to bed, but decided against it because there were many household chores to be done. She was soon lost in various kitchen tasks, when Elphaba suddenly felt that someone else was nearby. She paused and looked around, knowing she was alone and must be imagining things.

"Paranoia, that's all it is," Elphaba muttered to herself, shaking her head and turning back to the task at hand. She was only able to concentrate for a moment or two when the feeling of being observed overcame her again. This time when she glanced up, she realized she wasn't alone. Elphaba stood there in shock a moment or two, wondering if what she was seeing was real or in her imagination. When her visitor remained after a short time, Elphaba slowly approached and sank to her knees, bowing her head.

"I'm sorry, Nessa. As soon as I knew what was going to happen to you, I tried to get there in time. But..."

"I know you tried," Nessa whispered, sounding more gentle than she ever had in life. "Stand up, Elphaba. You don't have anything to be sorry for. You always did the best you could, you always took care of me. And I never appreciated it. Not until after... Well, I've been able to watch you, and I know you're much happier now than you ever were when I was alive. I've come to ask your forgiveness, and to give you a warning."

Elphaba listened silently to her sister's heartfelt apology for her ungrateful, spiteful behavior. Nessa's eyes looked haunted as she went on, knowing her words would worry and frighten Elphaba.

"Soon, Fiyero will be making plans to go away on a journey, without you. When that happens, you can't let him go. He'll be in a lot of danger if he does."

Elphaba did not question how her sister knew this. She knew that wherever Nessa observed the present from, she must also have been granted a glimpse into the future. Though Nessa had not had this talent in life, things were different now.

"Do you know what will happen to him?" The concern in Elphaba's eyes caused a deep sadness to settle over Nessa's face.

"No, not exactly. I'm sorry. All I know is you have to stop him from going. Even if he argues with you and has good reasons for going, do whatever you have to to get him to stay. I know how much you love him, how much he means to you. At least you know how to love someone... I never really managed it, not even when you gave me the gift of being able to walk. I never even thanked you, because of what happened afterward... But I do love you, and I regret never telling you when it might have made a difference."

"It does make a difference," Elphaba whispered earnestly. "I love you, too." She gazed intently at her sister, wishing she were flesh and blood so she could hug her. For several minutes neither of them said anything, and Elphaba expected her sister to disappear as quietly as she had come. But she wasn't done speaking yet.

"You did so much for me, Elphaba, and I wish that now I could make you well. I know about the pain you suffer sometimes. I'm sure Fiyero takes care of you, but it isn't fair what you have to go through. You think of it as punishment.. I wish you wouldn't. You're wrong about that."

"That's what Fiyero always says. I manage all right, Nessa. I have people to help me. It's not so bad."

"That's not true," Nessa suddenly looked like she was about to cry. "I felt how close you came that day... I don't know how you survived, but I was happy. It's time for me to go. I don't think we will see each other again, until... Until then, I hope you have more happy days than sad ones. I will miss you, but I will be waiting for you."

After this, Nessa left as quietly as she had come, a calm expression on her face. Once Elphaba was alone, she sat in the living room near the fireplace. She wondered just what danger was coming to Fiyero, and why she had no inkling of it prior to Nessa's appearance. Still, Elphaba was grateful for the warning, and the chance to make peace with her sister. Now all she could hope for was that Fiyero would yeild to her wishes that he not take a journey without her, wherever he meant to go.


	2. Chapter 1

AUthor's Note: I have a lot of plans for this story. I expect it to be at least as long as the 1st story. I hope you will all enjoy it and stick around for the twists & turns. Thanks to Stephanie for taking on beta responsibilities.

Chapter 1

Fiyero and Elphaba set out for the Emerald City with no possessions aside from their clothes and a photo album filled with wedding pictures that had been a farewell gift from Colverus. Nearly the entire first day of the trip passed in either silence or sleep. On the second day, under a stormy, lowering sky, the newlyweds passed their time in conversation. Fiyero was unusually quiet, and Elphaba found herself in the position of having to draw him out of a pensive mood. She could not read his thoughts, which told her that he was very confused and couldn't sort them out.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him finally. She was not afraid of what his answer may be, but knew that the possibilities were varied and complicated.

"I'm wondering how we will get by in the city. I know my parents have already bought the house for us, and they're going to pay for the furnishings we need. But after that there will be food and clothes to buy... Bills to pay. What are we supposed to do then? Neither of us even has a job, and we'll have to find them as soon as possible. We were both so anxious to make this move. But I think we should have waited. It's only been three weeks since the wedding. I don't know why we had to be so impatient."

"Because the city is home already, that's why," Elphaba answered simply. They sat in silence for several minutes before Fiyero spoke again.

"Aren't you even nervous? I mean, it helps a lot that Glinda is letting us stay with her and Travion until our house is ready to move into. But still, we don't really know anyone there but them. And I still don't know exactly what to do to make it so you can go without your disguise. That isn't fair, and I wanted to think of the solution before we arrived."

Elphaba smiled slightly, trying to comfort and encourage Fiyero. "It doesn't matter, really. I don't like having to keep myself hidden, and the wig is especially bothersome, but I'll survive. I can't think of a solution either."

Fiyero sighed and fell silent once more. His frustration was clear in his face, and Elphaba was sorry she hadn't succeeded in lifting his spirits. As a last effort at this, Elphaba reminded her husband that Colverus had promised to visit the city as soon as possible. To her surprise, Fiyero responded with a bitter laugh. "Yeah, I know. He'll get to come visit us in a house that isn't even ours, and with you looking like that. How exciting."

"Since when are you such a pessimist? It's very depressing! At least we have somewhere to stay until our house is ready. And Cole doesn't care what I look like. Thanks to me, we hardly got to know each other. He took some beautiful pictures for us, though."

"He did," Fiyero agreed with a nod. "It's too bad he couldn't have a talent for lifting the curse from you, too. But someday, when I find that so-called father of yours... Someday."

Elphaba shot a hostile, annoyed look in Fiyero's direction. "Don't you start that again. I didn't argue with you when you returned from your trip to see your parents, but since then I've made it very clear I don't agree with your plan to hunt down the wizard. I'm tired of hearing about it. It will be a waste of time. Time that would be better spent looking for a job, and then going to work every day!"

Fiyero began to speak, but when he saw the daggers Elphaba was sending in his direction, he kept silent. The remainder of the trip passed in nearly complete silence. It began to rain heavily during that second day of traveling, which only amplified the couple's pensive mood. It was only as they got within several miles of the city that the foul weather completely lifted. The sun shone brightly, as if it were welcoming the two newest residents of the city. They stopped to look at the house for a moment before continuing on to Glinda and Travion's home.

Elphaba and Fiyero's new home was the one they had admired just before the wedding. It had been purchased by Fiyero's parents immediately upon their receipt of his message that the extremely generous wedding gift was accepted. The house itself was two stories tall, with large windows flanked by sturdy wooden shutters. They knew from their walk-through that the house was larger than it looked from the outside, since it stretched further back than was plain from the street. It also had a spacious basement that was as yet unfinished, but Fiyero already had plans for it. It would serve as a second living room once it was painted, carpeted and fully furnished.

On top of buying the house itself, Fiyero's parents offered to pay for any furnishings that needed to be purchased. Elphaba was extremely uncomfortable with the idea of accepting this further offer, but Fiyero had soon talked her into it. He reasoned that once they chose the things they wanted to bring into the house, it would feel like their own home, and not just a building gifted to them by his family. Fiyero and Elphaba would be going the very next day to begin choosing the most essential furniture and other items.

Knowing Glinda would be waiting for them, Fiyero and Elphaba climbed back into the carriage for the ride of only half a block. As they pulled up to the manor, Elphaba couldn't suppress the smirk that came to her face. Every time she saw the color of the house, she couldn't help having that reaction. The pair disembarked, leaving their meager luggage in the carriage for the time being. As they mounted the stairs to the front door, it was opened before either of them could knock.

"You got here even earlier than I thought you would!" Glinda said happily, inviting them in and asking a maid to fetch the bags from the carriage. "Travion said to tell you he's sorry he isn't here to greet you. He's been very busy preparing to relocate his business. He will be here later tonight. There is plenty of breakfast left, if you're hungry." Fiyero said he was, and went directly to the dining table. Elphaba declined the offer of food, looking disappointed.

"I thought Papa said he'd be here today. Isn't he coming?"

"Of course, he wouldn't break a promise. You're earlier than expected, and you know how my mother is. She probably came up with some scheme to delay him deliberately." Glinda scowled slightly, then changed the subject. "How was the trip? Do you feel all right?"

"I feel fine. It seemed like it would never stop raining, though. It's so beautiful now. Maybe I can finally take Papa sightseeing. It seems like forever since I told him I would!"

Glinda laughed as they both sat down in the living room. "Three weeks isn't forever. I'm happy you were able to come here so soon. Your in-laws were very kind and generous to buy the house for you."

Elphaba blushed deeply, and only nodded in reply. Then she confided to Glinda that she wished she could go around the city free of her disguise.

"We're going to be living here now, not visiting. You said you've called the Gale Force off of us. That was really the worst of it. If some of the people here hate me, that doesn't really matter. Most people have never liked me anyway."

Elphaba's frustration and desire to look like herself again were causing her to oversimplify the situation, and Glinda cautioned her gently. "Elphie, you know there are still people here that would stop at nothing to see you dead. It doesn't matter to them that they have no legal authority. I have explained to my staff about you, so as long as you are inside it's fine if you want to be without your disguise. I thought I really had no choice but to tell them the truth now, since you might be living here for several weeks. Asking you to hide your real appearance for that long seemed too unfair. But Elphie, when you're on the streets of the city, I can't do enough to protect you or make people understand. We will have to think of a solution."

Elphaba sighed with exasperation, but knew Glinda spoke the truth. The solution would not be found overnight. "I'll help you figure something out," Glinda reassured. "There has to be an answer. Haven't you and Fiyero talked about it in the last three weeks?"

"Yes, but he didn't really know what to suggest. He said that some people he was on good terms with while he was in the Gale Force might still be there. He's been thinking about going to talk to them and explain our situation. I think it makes him nervous, though."

"And you, too," Glinda observed. Elphaba blushed and nodded as Glinda continued. "I can understand his apprehension, but I think that's a very good place to start. If that doesn't work out, we can all work together on it. I know it will be very hard to actually live here and have to hide your real self all the time. Speaking of which, why don't you lift the spell? Like I said, the staff here is prepared. And Papa much prefers to see you as you are."

"I know." Elphaba quickly lifted the spell as Glinda had asked, then continued speaking. "I guess I should go unpack the suitcases. I'd really rather do it myself, before the maid does."

Glinda understood this, and told Elphaba to go ahead and do as she wished. The maid had taken the two suitcases up to the suite, but had removed nothing from them. Once all the clothes were hung neatly in the closet, Elphaba returned downstairs, deciding she finally felt hungry enough to partake of breakfast. However, as she made her way down the staircase, she heard Glinda and Fiyero talking together in voices that were too hushed for her liking.

"Fiyero, I promised you before you last left the city that I'd help you find the wizard. I do have some possible leads based on what your mother told you. But it has only been three weeks. You need to be patient. He isn't a person that wants to be found."

"Maybe he doesn't want to, but he will be," Fiyero said in an angry whisper. "I will not stand by and let my wife die when there could be a way to make her well. That monster put the curse on her... He can remove it. He must know something. I'll leave in a few days to follow the new lead you just gave me. I know Elphaba will be angry at me, but you'll be here, and your father too. She'll just have to accept that I'm doing what I think is best."

"You're going to go in search of him already, based on such sketchy information? Fiyero, I don't think..."

Elphaba had heard enough of this exchange. She did not pause in the doorway to politely announce her arrival to the dining room. She strode directly to the table, fixing a smoldering gaze on her husband and best friend. "I told you both before, I don't want either of you to waste your time looking for the wizard. Even if he could lift the curse, he is a dangerous person. And now here you both are, going behind my back! I never thought either of you could have such disregard for my wishes, let alone both of you at the same time! Is this how it's going to be now that we're all living so close together, me being the outsider again? We might as well have stayed in exile in the middle of nowhere!"

Before either Glinda or Fiyero could reply to Elphaba's words, she stormed out of the room. Though Fiyero followed her as quickly as possible, it was too late. Elphaba was standing in front of the large bay window, her eyes fixed on the street where Glinda's pair of carriages were parked. By the time Fiyero realized what was happening, both of the vehicles were quaking violently, as if being hit by a very focused earthquake.

Fiyero grasped his wife by her shoulders, his emotions causing him to be rougher than was usually his nature. "Ivy, I know you're angry, but destroying those carriages won't help!" he cried, sounding frightened, as if he knew what he was saying was the wrong thing. Elphaba laughed at his words.

"Oh really? Without a carriage, you can't get very far, can you? And you WILL be staying here!"

Losing eye contact with the twin objects of her fury was the only thing that saved them from complete destruction. The wheels all had visible cracks, and the roofs had each begun to cave in. Glinda decided to go inspect the damage for herself, knowing it would be better to give Elphaba and Fiyero some privacy.

"Ivy, tell me why it's so important to you that I stay here. I know it was wrong of me to make plans behind your back. But that's not all this is about... Is it?"

At last, Elphaba met Fiyero's worried gaze, slowly shaking her head in response to his question. She allowed him to lead her away from the window and to the nearest couch, where they each sat down. They sat quietly for a moment or two, until Elphaba could fully focus on the conversation at hand.

"Tell me what's wrong. Please, Ivy," Fiyero was saying, his voice gentle and concerned. "If you don't tell me, I honestly can't guess. I only want to go on the trip because there is a chance it can help you. But you're afraid of something. I know you; You got so angry because you're frightened. Of what?"

Elphaba hesitated, wondering if telling the whole truth would make her sound crazy. After a moment or two, she decided that being completely honest was the only way to make her husband understand her desperation. Since the day Nessa had visited her in spirit, Elphaba had become convinced the reason her sister had been anxious to warn her was because Fiyero would be in mortal danger.

"Fiyero, that day you went visiting a couple of weeks ago, I saw... I saw something. Actually someone. It wasn't like other times I've had visions of things that haven't happened yet. This was very real too, in a different way. Nessa... She came to give me a message, to warn me. She said she knew you would be planning to take a trip without me, very soon, but that I HAD to convince you not to go. She didn't know exactly what might happen, but I..."

"You think I'm going to die. That the wizard is going to kill me." Fiyero did not say this with disbelief or anger. Instead, the realization of how much heartbreak this burden must have been causing his wife nearly made him begin to weep. He took Elphaba's face in his hands, then kissed her gently.

"Why didn't you tell me before? Did you think I wouldn't believe you?"

Elphaba shook her head gently. "I thought it would be better to wait until the time came. What Nessa said about you worried me, but the rest of it... It was such a relief to be able to tell her how I tried to get there in time to save her life. And she... She told me that she was sorry for how she treated me, and that she loved me. She'd never told me that before."

"I'm glad she came to tell you that, Ivy. And that she warned you. Of course I won't go, at least not now. I'm no less determined to give that man what he deserves. But it can wait. Do you feel all right? You look tired."

"I'm fine, Fiyero," Elphaba said with a smile. "You worry too much. As long as I get a good night's rest tonight, there is nothing to worry about."

Their conversation ended as Glinda came back inside, her father following immediately on her heels. Greetings were exchanged all around, and while they were still in progress a messenger appeared at the door. Glinda went to the entryway to accept it, then brought it to Fiyero, as it was addressed to him. He opened and read it quickly, having difficulty maintaining a neutral expression. After a moment, he took his wife aside to tell her about the contents of the note.

"Ivy, this is from my parents. They're asking to come for a visit. They know we aren't living at home yet, but they're very anxious to meet you. I'll leave the decision up to you. Are you ready to see them yet?"


	3. Chapter 2, Part 1

Chapter 2

Part 1

Elphaba took a moment to make her reply which, when it came, was both angrier and louder than she intended. "Yes... I'm sure they're anxious to see you. After all, they have to make sure I haven't turned you into some kind of monster, right? I don't care what your mother says, she's not going to make me leave you!"

Fiyero looked directly into Elphaba's eyes as he replied, his voice low but firm. "I know that. I feel the same way, and Mother knows it. I know you'll be nervous, you have a right to be. But she doesn't hate you, Ivy. When I was there, I explained to them about you. Mother listened to me... She understood. Maybe she is nervous too. She might be worried you won't like HER."

"Maybe," Elphaba conceded after a moment of silence. "Fiyero, I hate to admit it, but I'm more than nervous. I feel a little..."

"Frightened?" Elphaba cast her eyes down, shamefully nodding her head. "I can't really blame you for that, either," Fiyero went on. "But I'll be right there with you. I'd never let them hurt you. Not anymore... Mother doesn't hate you, Ivy. I promise she doesn't. At first I didn't believe her either. But she was sorry, she was crying... I hadn't seen my mother cry in years."

"She deserved to cry," Elphaba said harshly. "She tried to have me killed! And did you ever think that maybe she was only crying because her little scheme didn't work??"

"You don't know my mother, Ivy," Fiyero countered, sounding a little angry himself. "At least not yet you don't. She told me how sorry she was, and I believed her. Please, will you give her a chance?"

Elphaba looked into her husband's face and saw his raw, honest desire for family unity. His expression caused her anger to seep away, and be replaced by a wish to please him. She resolved to try her hardest to get along with her in-laws. Though friendship was too much to expect after a single visit, simple civility was possible. This was what Elphaba felt she needed to strive for, no matter how nervous or intimidated she became.

"Okay," she replied finally. "This once, I will try." Fiyero thanked Elphaba for her consideration of his feelings, then kissed her tenderly before leaving her. As they drew apart, he suggested that she spend some time talking to Riordan, that it may cheer her up.

As it turned out, time with her surrogate father was just what Elphaba needed. They sat and talked alone for a short while, then Riordan went to fetch something from his carriage. He returned with a large wrapped box, and told Elphaba that though the gift was formally for both her and Fiyero, it was meant to officially welcome her to the family. Intriuged, Elphaba unwrapped the gift quickly. Inside, she found a set of chinaware that was exquisite, and obviously not of modern design. Elphaba looked questioningly at Riordan.

"The set belonged to my mother," he explained. "I wanted to give you something that would make you feel you are really part of the family, and I thought this would also make a nice housewarming gift. Glinda received a lot of my mother's jewelry when she died, so she already has her share of the heirlooms. Don't worry about that."

Though Elphaba was happy with the generous gift, she also looked uncomfortable. "Papa, I'm flattered that you'd give this to me... It's beautiful. But I'm not related to you. Shouldn't Glinda keep this, if not for herself then in case she has a child to pass it on to? It belongs to your family."

"You are part of that family," Riordan responded. Then he tenderly took her hands and gently kissed her forehead before continuing. "Blood related or not, you are my family too. You have every right to this gift. My mother always regretted that Glinda was an only child. She'd be happy you've joined us. She would take these dishes out for days other than holidays, because she always said the good dishes should not only be for when there was company over. She used to welcome all kinds of people to our table; People that were her good friends, my father's co-workers and their families. Once or twice she even asked people over that she didn't know at all, because they were hungry and lonely. If not for your circumstances, I think you could be like that. And I hope someday your home will be like mine was."

Elphaba wanted to express how truly grateful she was for Riordan's thoughtfulness, but could not think of the proper words. Instead, she settled for simply thanking him as sincerely as she could, and then moved the conversation along to the subject of their sightseeing. Riordan agreed that he was more than ready for a day abroad in the city, and plans were made for he and Elphaba to spend the day out in two days' time. That would give Elphaba and Fiyero time to complete their shopping trip, and for Riordan to visit with Glinda.

The trip to select furniture the following day was uneventful, something that was a relief to both Fiyero and Elphaba. They were both cautious in their choices, selecting only the most essential pieces of furniture, and then only those priced extremely well. It seemed Fiyero was more uncomfortable with the idea of his parents paying for things than he had let on. During their walk home, Fiyero reluctantly replied to Elphaba's question on the subject.

"It's just... We're going to be in such debt to everyone. First Glinda, now my parents... Next thing we know, Cole will do something we'll have to repay him for."

"If you mean his plans to paint the house, he doesn't care about the money. He's very lonely, and he can't wait to see you."

Fiyero did not wonder at Elphaba's knowledge of the house painting plans, which he hadn't yet talked to her about. Instead, he simply seemed disappointed that she knew ahead of time. "I wanted that to be a surprise," he confided. "I guess I should have known better."

Elphaba frowned and then looked guilty, as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't. "Don't say it like that, please. It's not your fault I can pick up on so many things. It's mine. Nessa used to tell me I should try to learn to control it... Or at least ignore it. Maybe she was right, after all."

"No. No, Ivy." Fiyero stopped walking and turned Elphaba to face him, resting his hands on her shoulders. "I never want you to feel that kind of shame again. NEVER. All I meant was, it would have been nice to make it a surprise. It's about time you had a good surprise, instead of only bad ones."

Elphaba suddenly looked like she were going to cry. "Fiyero," she began weakly. "You are the greatest surprise I ever had in my life. Just to have you here, loving me like you do... It's enough."

Fiyero smiled brightly at these words from his wife. She had said them so calmly and simply that they instantly touched him deeply. He started to make a reply, but Elphaba hushed him and changed the subject; Fiyero didn't mind this, because he could see Elphaba was deeply uncomfortable with saying such emotional words in public.

"I hope Papa doesn't have to go home right away. Maybe he could help us get moved in. It will probably be a lot of work, and there is no way of knowing how much help I'll be able to give."

"That's not your fault," Fiyero said with a frown. "Still, you could ask him when we get back. The furniture will be delivered in just a few days. He can probably stay at least that long. Glinda said this morning that when Travion gets home he wanted to talk to me about something. So we should probably be getting back now anyway."

When the couple returned home, they found Travion already waiting for them. He asked Fiyero to talk with him alone. As they disappeared into another room, Elphaba watched them, a worried look on her face. Glinda observed her friend's reaction for a moment, then spoke up.

"You worry too much, you know that don't you? I'm sure everything is fine."

"Maybe for them," Elphaba said with a sigh. "I'm happy to be here, but what can I do to be any use to anyone? I can't even go out of doors without that ridiculous disguise. I don't really have any skills to help me get a job. What am I going to do, sit around home all the time?"

"No, of course not," Glinda replied instantly. "I've had time to think about things too, Elphie. And I think I've found the perfect solution. I feel good about the fact that I've lifted the Animal Bans, but there is a lot of work yet to be done. The wizard did a lot of damage, and I have been trying my best to turn things around. I haven't got a gift for relating to the animals, not like you do. So, I thought you could be sort of an ambassador, to help them regain their proper places here in the city. There are still details I have to work out before it will be safe for you to assume the position. But you will be paid, and be doing something useful... Please say something, Elphie. Do you think you will be happy doing that work?"

Elphaba's response was quiet but immediate. "Oh, yes," she whispered. "Yes, very much so. Thank you, Glinda. Just to have the chance to heal some of the things that my... that HE has done to this city... I couldn't ask for more than that."

"You're welcome," Glinda said, with tears coming to her eyes. "I'm so glad you're happy about it. I'm sure you'll want to talk it over with Fiyero first before you definitely accept, but..." A small smile suddenly appeared on Glinda's face. "I have a feeling that in a very few minutes, he'll have something to tell you about, too."

Elphaba eyed her friend suspiciously, knowing there was something she wasn't admitting to. After a short time, Fiyero and Travion emerged from the room where they had been having their discussion. Fiyero looked very happy, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He walked over to where Elphaba sat. Glinda rose from the couch and let Fiyero take the seat instead.

"Ivy, Travion just offered me a job. Since he is moving the shop here to the city, I won't even have to go far every day. The pay won't be much, at least at first. But it's a job, and we can start paying our own way for things. I didn't want to say yes to him without telling you about it first. What do you think?" 

Elphaba assured her husband she was happy for him and encouraged him to accept Travion's offer. Then, she excitedly told him of Glinda's plan for her. Fiyero was even happier at this news than he had been for himself. He promised to help Glinda figure out a way for Elphaba to go about the city safely. Their contentment was tempered when Fiyero said that very night he would be sending a message to his parents inviting them for a visit. Riordan waited only until dinner that evening to announce his intention to remain at the house until Fiyero's parents departed. Though everyone at the table knew this was prompted by Riordan's concern for Elphaba's safety, no one mentioned it... and Fiyero couldn't blame him for worrying. Fiyero himself felt tense and uncertain about the situation, and he began to wish he could rescind the invitation.

This wish intensified over the next two days. Fiyero's own anxieties grew to an almost unbearable level, and Elphaba was greatly distracted, her nights nearly sleepless. On the day his parents were due to arrive, Fiyero rose very early. He found Elphaba already awake, studying her reflection in the standing mirror that had been left in the room since the wedding day. Fiyero walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Did you sleep?" he whispered.

"Not really... A couple of hours, maybe. You slept like a stone, as usual," she said with a small laugh. Fiyero sighed in reply.

"I'm sorry. You could have woken me up. I could have kept you company, Ivy."

"Just because I couldn't sleep, why should I have kept you from your rest? I didn't mind. It gave me time to figure out what I can say to your mother. Are you sure I shouldn't wear my disguise? I know they already know what I look like, but maybe it would help. They might be less afraid to be near me."

"Ivy, you aren't going to wear that stupid thing today. I understand your reasoning. But either they accept you as you are, or they just don't accept you. After what Mother did to you, I will not coddle her and try to make things easier. And neither should you."

Elphaba was surprised at his words. "I was only trying to do what I thought you'd want. But all right, if we're going to approach it that way, no disguise for me. No apologies, either. I will NOT apologize for loving you. If your mother is expecting that, she won't get her wish!"

"No, she won't. You don't have to explain, Elphaba. I'd never say that either." He paused, studying her reflection. "You look so beautiful," he whispered in her ear. Elphaba smiled, but looked rather amused.

"Sure I do. First thing in the morning, still in my nightclothes. Really beautiful."

"You know what I mean," he teased back, then turned her around so he could kiss her tenderly. "Mother and Father won't be here for hours yet. You could go back to sleep for a while."

Elphaba smiled at his concern, but gently shook her head. "I'd never really sleep. Besides, Glinda said something yesterday about asking her maid to help me get ready to meet them." She shrugged, then went on. "I don't know why I can't get ready on my own, but maybe she wants me to get to know the household staff, finally. I don't know when she'll be coming up here."

"You DO humor her, that's for sure!" Fiyero said with a laugh. "Maids are definitely not your style. Wait until you're queen and you find out how many maids you'll have... I bet you'll fire half of them."

Elphaba frowned, her eyes troubled. "That's not funny. I have to try to get along with people here. I haven't tried at all yet. Soon my job will demand it of me, I'll be seeing strangers all day. And please don't talk about me being queen... Not yet. I'll have no clue what to do, and it might be many years until we have to take over. Your mother is the queen. I still don't know exactly what I'll say to her."

"Just see what happens when she gets here. You've worried enough about her and her attitude toward you. When you meet her, say what feels right to you, even if it isn't very nice. She is my mother, and of course I love her. But you are my wife now, you come first."

Elphaba turned away from him, her movements quick and nervous. "Fiyero, you shouldn't talk like that. She's your mother, as you say... Why should I come before her? We should be equal, shouldn't we? Not because she is queen... titles don't impress me. But she gave birth to you. That makes a difference."

"It does," Fiyero conceded. "Like I said, I do still love her. But after what she's done to you, things are different between she and I. I don't expect them to be quite the same ever again. We will all have to live with that. Now come on, that's enough gloomy talk. Let's go see if breakfast is ready, okay?"

Elphaba reluctantly agreed, and they both ventured to the lower level. The meal was indeed set out, piping hot and tantalizing. Fiyero ate heartily as always, and for a change Elphaba did as well. Riordan and Travion joined the couple at the table after a short time, and the meal passed happily. Glinda was absent, and Travion informed everyone she had left home extremely early to tend to city business.

At the conclusion of the meal, Glinda's personal maid came in search of Elphaba to help her prepare for meeting her in-laws. It quickly became clear that the maid had been told about Elphaba's unusual physical limitations. The other woman did not offer to draw a bath, which would have been a very normal action. Instead, she left Elphaba alone to tend to her personal needs, then returned to help her dress and do her hair. Though the maid was quick and efficient, it wasn't long before Elphaba tired of her attention. At her first opportunity, Elphaba dismissed the servant with a polite but slightly strained tone.

Elphaba was attempting to relax and gather her thoughts in her favorite parlor when Fiyero entered to tell her his parents had just arrived. He too was more dressed up than usual. Elphaba thought he looked uncomfortable and overly warm, but Fiyero made no complaint. Before they joined his parents, Fiyero complimented his wife on how pretty she looked, and kissed her softly more than once. They then felt ready to face their visitors, and walked as one to greet them. Riordan was standing in the entryway, directly behind the visiting king and queen. To Elphaba he looked as if he would pounce on the pair the second any cross look or words were exchanged.

Riordan's demeanor was actually comforting to Elphaba, which was a surprise to her. Any feelings of comfort fled as Elphaba looked into her mother-in-law's face and saw fear. The older woman was doing her best to control the emotion, and a less seasoned observer would not have recognized it for what it was. The queen's expression was neutral, even a bit aloof. Her eyes held more truth. She watched Elphaba warily, as if she expected her to strike out like some crazed, wild animal. Though Fiyero's father was calm and clearly unafraid, this did little to calm the anger that rose inside of Elphaba. She quickened her pace and locked her gaze on her mother-in-law, determined not to be the timid one.


	4. Chapter 2, Part 2

Chapter 2

Part 2

Author's note: Here is the next part, actually a bit ahead of schedule. I hope you enjoy it, I look forward to reading reviews from anyone who'll be kind enough to leave one. I think I've really hit my stride at this point... Apparently massive doses of dry-roasted peanuts & Diet Coke can work a tiny miracle.

* * *

For his part, Fiyero approached his parents a bit cautiously. He immediately received hugs from both of them, but was less enthusiastic in returning the one from his mother. After their greetings had concluded, he properly introduced Elphaba to both of his parents. Though the king greeted his new daughter-in-law with a warm hug, the queen managed only a hello. She didn't even go so far as to offer a handshake in greeting.

"Fiyero has been very anxious for us to meet you," Jeranda said stiffly.

Elphaba kept her gaze fixed on her mother-in-law's face. "You're afraid of me," she challenged, not in the mood for playing along with any meager attempts to be agreeable. "You don't even want to be here. Why pretend you want to try to get along with me?"

Jeranda was taken aback by Elphaba's directness. She was even more surprised that Fiyero didn't say something to his wife about her confrontational attitude. It took her a moment to think of a reply that would be honest without increasing Elphaba's anger.

"I'll admit this is... awkward. I am a little frightened, but not exactly of you. I feel very ashamed of what I asked the wizard to do to you. I've been worried that you wouldn't accept me."

"I've thought the same about you," Elphaba admitted, sounding surprised that her mother-in-law cared at all what she thought of her. Still, the fact of what the older woman had tried to do to her remained, and Elphaba wasn't about to let it be forgotten easily. "But why should I care if you've come here to visit, to act like all of a sudden everything can be all right again? You tried to have me murdered! I live with the consequences of that every day!"

Aside from Riordan moving protectively closer to his surrogate daughter, no one else moved or spoke. It was as if Elphaba and Jeranda were the only two people in the room. Jeranda's gaze was now as intense as Elphaba's had been since the beginning of the conversation.

"I know, Fiyero has explained that to me," Jeranda said sadly. "I know I have no right to expect you to forgive me overnight. That isn't why I've come. I would like us to make a start, that's all. You're my son's wife, we are family now. Fiyero has told me some things about you, but I'd like to take time to talk to you, get to know you personally. Can't we try that, at least?"

Elphaba studied Jeranda's face warily before replying. "All right," she consented at last. "But only that much. Don't expect to leave here as my friend."

On this note, everyone adjourned from the entryway to the spacious living room. the conversation was slow to begin in earnest, but after about a quarter of an hour, Elphaba was answering her in laws' questions promptly, if briefly. Fiyero mostly remained silent, relieved to see his wife and parents beginning to make a connection, however slight it might be. The one thing that dampened his joy was that, as he observed his wife, he realized she was suffering great pain. Why she hadn't said anything about it, and how she was managing to hide her symptoms, Fiyero had only some idea.

After the converstaion had gone on for a while, the topic turned to the wedding ceremony. Jeranda expressed a desire to see Elphaba's wedding dress, something that pleased the younger woman greatly. She went quickly upstairs to fetch it from safekeeping in the closet of the suite. As she went, Fiyero saw her stumble giong up the stairs. He looked over at Riordan, and saw that he had likewise seen the evidence of Elphaba's suffering. Silently, they each vowed to say something to her about it when she returned, to try and persuade her to rest for a while.

Fiyero and his father moved off to a corner to talk privately while Jeranda awaited Elphaba's return to the lower level. "Father, I know it wasn't easy to come here. Elphaba knows you had nothing to do with the spell being cast on her. I told her that she shouldn't spare Mother her honest opinion. Not that Elphaba normally needs any encouragement to speak her mind," Fiyero smiled a bit at this last, unable to help himself. The senior Fiyero likewise smiled gently.

"It will serve her well, even more once she's queen. It will save her from having the subjects walk all over her with their demands. I can see good qualities in her, son. Strength, determination, courage... She'll need all that and more once she ascends the throne."

Fiyero's smile widened. "You forgot one. She's as stubborn as an angry bull, often too. She has a lot of gentleness and caring, but you have to earn the right to see that side of her. Still not sure how I managed it, sometimes."

"You sell yourself so short," the king countered. "If Elphaba normally tries so hard to remain distant from other people, you must have done something right. You make her very happy, I could see it in her face every time she said your name. Be glad she loves you so much."

"I am," Fiyero immediately replied. "It makes me happy to see HER happy, it's that simple. I love her more than I thought I could love another person. That sounds so trite and ridiculous, but it's true."

The conversation between father and son halted as the maid who had helped Elphaba earlier in the day hurried into the room. She curtseyed as she came within a few steps. "Excuse me, but I was just upstairs, and I heard a strange noise from the guest suite. When I went to investigate, your wife," here she gestured toward the younger Fiyero, even though it was an unnecessary counterpart to her words. "She'd collapsed. I went up to her and said something, but she didn't move, and her eyes were closed. I could tell she was breathing, but..."

The servant trailed off as Fiyero rushed out of the room. He alerted Riordan to the situation, and they both went upstairs. Elphaba was still in the condition the maid had described. Her breathing was so shallow and rapid that fear leapt into both of the gentlemen. Fiyero moved to lift his wife from the floor. Without needing to be told, Riordan turned the bed down, then went to fetch the things he knew Elphaba would need.

Once Elphaba was settled carefully into bed, her breathing only slightly improved, Fiyero set about trying to rouse her. She seemed to be unconscious save for the fact that when Fiyero squeezed her hand, Elphaba returned the gesture.

"Ivy, can you hear me?" Fiyer said this gently, but loudly enough that he could be sure his wife would hear him. That was, if she was still clinging to some thread of consciousness. Fiyero felt badly frightened and worried, but pushed these emotions from his awareness, focusing all of his energy on bringing Elphaba around again. He knelt beside the bed and began to gently stroke Elphaba's cheek.

"If you can hear me, open your eyes, Ivy. Please."

It took a moment, but Elphaba did as he asked. When she saw Fiyero beside the bed, she tried to smile. She started to speak, but Fiyero hushed her.

"You need rest. Don't worry about my parents, and don't be sorry. I'll explain to them. Why didn't you tell me sooner that you were feeling so terrible?"

Elphaba just shrugged in reply. For the moment, Fiyero did not comment on her avoidance of his question. Instead, he and Riordan worked together to make sure Elphaba was cared for. Riordan fetched extra pillows and blankets while Fiyero tended to Elphaba's skin. Though she was not yet running a fever, everyone expected it to take hold sooner rather than later.

When Riordan returned to the room and placed an extra pillow behind Elphaba's head, she ignored Fiyero's advice to rest quietly and spoke, her tone urgent.

"Papa, I want you to stay... Stay until I... I'm feeling better. Even if your wife gets... Gets really angry, you will stay... Won't you?"

"Of course I will," Riordan surprised himself by beginning to cry. "You should have told us about your pain sooner. You could have rested before your in-laws got here. Are you comfortable? Is there something else I can do?"

Elphaba shook her head, and very shortly drifted off to sleep. Fiyero briefly returned downstairs to tell his parents what was going on. To his surprise, they did not change their plans and decide to return to the countryside immediately. Jeranda explained the reason behind this.

"Son, I'm responsible for how ill Elphaba is. I should stay, to face up to what I've done. Maybe there is even some way i can help take care of her. Do you think so?"

"Maybe... But you can't do it just out of guilt. Elphaba will pick up on that, and she won't like it. If you really want to help, then please do. Her papa and I could use a little extra help sometimes. Though I should warn you, sometimes when the pain is especially bad, it makes Elphaba scream. Do you think you can handle that, Mother?"

"I'm not as weak-kneed as I look, son. Please, take me upstairs, I'd like to see how Elphaba is doing." The king followed them upstairs as well. Both of them were shocked to see Elphaba in such a weakened state. Jeranda in particular felt deep shame, which she believed was the least she deserved. She approached the bed where Fiyero was gently tending to his wife even as she slept.

"Son, tell me what I can do to help," she whispered. "There must be something."

"Yes, once she wakes up, I'm sure there will be plenty to do. The worst part only lasts a day or two. She should be up and about soon." Elphaba stirred in her sleep, and Fiyero leaned over to kiss her forehead gently. He frowned as he realized a fever had taken hold of his wife. He and Riordan remained on either side of the bed for the rest of the day. Jeranda helped out where she could, especially once Elphaba's fever was raging.

That evening, Glinda and Travion returned from their day's work. Travion had left the house quietly just before Fiyero's parents arrived. Therefore, both he and his wife had to be told about the meeting and the current state of Elphaba's health. Though they were both alarmed at her condition when they went up together to look in on her, they did not linger. They knew Fiyero preferred there to be as few people coming and going as possible. In the early hours of the morning, he did allow Glinda's maid to tend to Elphaba for only an hour or two while he took a nap.

By the time Elphaba was feeling better just over two days later, the day had arrived for the furniture to be delivered. Fiyero went down the block to supervise the delivery. Thankfully, the workers did not just leave the items haphazardly about the house. They placed the couch, chairs, tables and bed exactly where Fiyero instructed. He tried not to rush them too fast, even though he was extremely anxious to return to his wife. When he did return to Glinda's house, he told his wife every detail. They both began to feel that the new house was much more of a home. Though they mostly looked forward to making it their permanent home, leaving Glinda's house still brought a twinge of sadness to each of them.

Over the next week, Riordan and Fiyero's parents all returned home. Elphaba did not think of her in-laws as friends, let alone family. She was, however, mostly pleased with the outcome of the visit. Fiyero had told her of his mother's desire to stay and help care for her. Elphaba herself had been unaware of most of that because of her intense fever.

On the first day Elphaba really felt ready to get out of bed, she found her copy of the key to her new house and made her way there to investigate. When she reached the house, she stopped short. There was a large group of people hard at work, painting the house white. Elphaba recognized only her husband, Travion and Colverus, whom she hadn't even known was in town. When Fiyero saw his wife standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, he descended the ladder he was standing on to get his work done. He walked over to her, said hello, and kissed her.

"Surprised?" He said with a mischievous smile.

"Yes," Elphaba said plainly. "Why does the house need painted? It looked fine the other way."

"Come, I'll show you. Inside."

Completely puzzled, Elphaba followed her husband, carefully avoiding any obstacles littering the front of the house due to the painting project. Fiyero led her downstairs to the dim, unfinished basement and pointed to a corner. "Over there," he whispered, sounding so excited he might burst. "Another surprise. I hope you like it."

Elphaba walked to where her husband indicated, and looked at the multiple containers sitting on a small table. They were all filled with several inches of water, and a rooted plant trailed from each one. There was no soil, which was confusing, but that wasn't what kept Elphaba's attention.

"Fiyero, is that...?"

"Ivy. Cole went to the university and asked if he could take some cuttings a few weeks ago. He kept these at his house until today, because I told him I was finally ready for him to bring them. We're going to plant them after the paint dries. I thought it would show up much better if the house was painted white, so... You do like it, don't you?"

"You don't even have to ask... It's so perfect," Elphaba whispered, the sound of tears in her voice. "Was this your idea? This is just the thing to make this house feel like it's really mine. How did you know?"

"I knew because I know you, Ivy. I'm so glad you're happy. Despite still having to wear that silly disguise whenever you leave the house," he teased. Elphaba scowled.

"Please, don't remind me. I'm finally feeling up to being out today. When you're ready to start planting these, can I help?"

"Sure. It shouldn't be long. I should get back to helping with the painting. Stay, keep us company." Husband and wife returned to the outdoors. Fiyero immediately got back to work, and Elphaba took a moment to thank Cole After this, she stood nearby and watched as the painting was completed. For the first time, the building felt like a home. A home that rightfully belonged to her and Fiyero. Though they both had yet to begin working to earn money to pay household expenses, for the moment that didn't matter. All that mattered was they were here together on a beautiful day.

By sundown, all of the ivy was carefully planted and propped up so that it would have the best chance of properly attaching to the walls. All the other workers, most of whom had turned out to be people Travion had hired to work in his shop, were at Glinda's house eating a hearty meal. Fiyero and Elphaba stood alone admiring their home.

"It's ours now, really ours," Elphaba said, wrapping an arm around Fiyero's shoulders. "It looks so pretty."

"Just like you," he replied, kissing her forehead. "I'm so relieved you were happy. You should have seen Cole's face when I asked him the favor. I think he supposed I'd gone crazy."

"It wasn't crazy, it was sweet. I hope we get to live here a really long time... Maybe even raise a family in this house. Do you think so?"

"Yes," Fiyero answered simply as they turned to walk down the block where dinner awaited them. Neither of them had felt so content in a long time, and were determined to enjoy it. Glinda and Travion both noticed theirs friends' serenity upon their return, but made no comments. They talked about various things during the rest of the meal, but avoided both the subjects of work and Elphaba's recent bout of poor health. Instead, they focused on discussion of the new house and how excited Fiyero and Elphaba were to be nearly ready to move and truly begin life as husband and wife.


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next several weeks passed uneventfully. Fiyero began his job in Travion's shop, and aside from the usual mishaps and frustrations that can come along with any job, things went smoothly. It was only after Fiyero had begun working that Glinda informed Elphaba that she too could begin the job she had been offered. She was told to come to the building in disguise, and once she was inside it could be lifted.

Though Elphaba did feel nervous at the prospect of dealing with a large number of strangers, she was mostly excited. She looked forward to the opportunity to be useful, to give help where it was needed. Though she was sometimes plagued by thoughts of Dr. Dillamond and the lion cub she had ultimately failed to help, Elphaba still managed to feel optimistic.

All positive thoughts flew away as Elphaba approached the building she had been told to come to. There were guards standing outside. Armed guards. Elphaba had her doubts that this was standard procedure, and her hackles were instantly raised. She walked up to one of the men, who studied her as she approached but showed no sign of fear.

"What are you doing here? Do you have to stand around out here every day?" Elphaba knew she could have been more tactful, but she didn't care. The man she had spoken to did not shy from her angry tone. His companion watched them, saying nothing.

"No ma'am," the guard answered quietly. "We were just assigned here starting this morning."

Elphaba's eyes narrowed, as she now had no doubts about what was going on. "Who asked you to come here?" She crossed her arms and impatiently awaited the answer, which was slower in coming than the last. The man was now on the defensive.

"A friend who used to work with me. He said his wife was starting work here today, and he wanted us here to make sure things went all right. You must be her... I'm sorry if you mind, but he asked, and we were assigned here. I'm only doing my job."

Without a word or movement of any kind on Elphaba's part, both of the guards were flung from their posts, landing flat on their backs in the street. Elphaba couldn't help smirking with satisfaction. While the silent half of the pair seemed nonplused by what had just been done to him, the one who had spoken to Elphaba knew perfectly well.

"You did that," he said breathlessly as he picked himself up and dusted off his uniform. "I don't know how you did that without touching me... I'm not sure I want to know. I'm here to do a job, and I'm going to do it." He walked back to the spot he had just been standing in and met Elphaba's gaze. "I'm not afraid of you," he went on, with unexpected gentleness. This spared him the angry words that would normally have been his reward for such a statement.

"Good. It's not me you should be afraid of," Elphaba said as she turned on her heel to go inside. As she went, the other guard was just returning to his post, much more reluctantly. After taking a moment to remove her disguise, including the wig she despised, Elphaba went in search of Glinda, knowing she would have to take further instructions from her before getting down to work. Though it was very early, Glinda already had a visitor who had come on official business. Therefore, Elphaba was forced to wait about a half hour before she could enter the room that had once been the throne room of the wizard.

As soon as Elphaba entered it, she could actually feel the difference in the place. Rather than being used as a means to intimidate and even frighten visitors, the room was now almost comforting. Though nothing could be done about the size or echoing that came with it, Glinda had asked that large rugs be place throughout, as well as gentle lighting and places for her guests to sit. These things helped everyone feel much more comfortable, which usually led to ease of conversation, which could not be of greater advantage to everyone.

When Glinda told her she would have to begin by reading all of the new laws that had been put in place, Elphaba was disappointed. "I know it's not the most exciting way to start off," Glinda sympathized. "It's the way I had to begin too. It will probably be really boring, and I'm sorry. At least you probably won't get headaches from it the way I did."

Elphaba could not help laughing at this last statement, and Glinda frowned at her. "I'm sorry," Elphaba said, mostly containing her laughter. "I just got an image of that in my head. You hunched over a bunch of huge, dusty books, having to study for hours. You sure didn't get to practice that at university."

At the angry look on Glinda's face, Elphaba only smiled to herself. Then, Glinda lead her to the room where the written copies of the laws were kept. Though the amount of material Elphaba had to study was smaller than what Glinda had to contend with, it was by no means small. And since a lot of what Glinda had done since taking power related to the Animals, there was not much Elphaba could set aside without reading it. She set about her task with determination, but after a solid two weeks had passed doing nothing but reading, and not speaking to a single resident of the city, Elphaba reached the end of her patience. She went to Glinda's chambers, relieved to see there was a rare lull in visitors.

"When do I actually get to DO something?" Elphaba asked without preface. "You gave me this job to help the Animals. I'm not helping anyone sitting in that room reading all day! I understand those are things I need to know... but I'd rather take the documents home and finish them on my own time. I know enough to at least make a start. Or are you afraid to let me try because I might make a mistake??"

"No," Glinda replied immediately, determined not to be cowed by Elphaba's anger. "It isn't that. I know you'll do a fine job. You're very capable, and you care a lot. The problem is that I'm not sure what sort of reaction you'll get. People know you've come to work here, and most of them don't like it. I expected that, and I don't care whether they like it or not. The issue is your safety, and bringing those guards in here to hover over you all the time is no answer. You'd hate that."

"I would," Elphaba said with a slight nod. "You took a chance by even giving me this job. Now I have to take one to start doing it. I'm not afraid, Glinda. Even if some of the people hate me and won't work with me, that will be their loss. The Animals won't hate me... I have no reason to fear them. Just let me start doing what you hired me for. Either I start today, or I'll quit."

This was the last thing Glinda expected. Her reaction was surprisingly calm, but immediate. "No, Elphie. You don't have to do that. If you feel ready to begin your real job, then you should. There is a smaller receiving room I thought you could use. Come on, I'll show you."

Glinda led her best friend to a room that was somewhat smaller than her own. It was clean and well-lit thanks to several large windows, but was as yet undecorated. You can do what you like with the room, make it more comfortable to work in. You'll be spending a lot of hours in here... Probably more than you've bargained for."

Elphaba thanked Glinda for allowing her use of the space, and they parted ways to each get down to work. That very day, Elphaba received her first visitor, and felt much more at ease. Though over the ensuing weeks and months harsh words were occasionally exchanged in that room, things never became physical, nor roused Elphaba's anger enough for it to manifest itself outwardly. Fiyero likewise adjusted very well to his own work. They were both happy with their situations. After living in the city for several months, they had a dinner party, inviting Fiyero's parents and every one of their friends. Since such things were not normally to Elphaba's liking, most of the guests suspected there was an announcement forthcoming... They were not to be disappointed.

At the conclusion of the meal, Elphaba and Fiyero stood, which immediately drew everyone's attention. Elphaba seemed nervous, but knew Fiyero wanted her to tell the guests their news. "Just a couple of weeks ago, we," here Elphaba paused and took Fiyero's hand. "We found out we're going to be parents."

Much to the couple's pleasure, the reaction to their announcement was unanimously happy, even on the part of Fiyero's mother. Glinda and Travion were the first to offer hugs of congratulations, followed by Riordan. Soon enough everyone, including Cole, had done the same. Cole soon left to spend the night at an inn before returning home. Riordan took Elphaba aside at his first opportunity. His face was filled with a bright smile as he hugged Elphaba again.

"I'm so happy for you. Thank you for inviting me. Imagine what it might have been like if my wife were here!" he laughed just a little, as did Elphaba.

"She would probably have fainted... Or, if that wasn't dramatic enough, screamed and THEN fainted."

"I can't disagree," Riordan said softly, still smiling. Elphaba's own happy expression faded a little as she noticed that Glinda and Fiyero were deep in conversation, their faces intense. Elphaba was quite sure she knew what they were discussing, but wasted no time in finding out for sure. She excused herself from Riordan's company and approached her husband. She was not nearly so polite in putting an end to his conversation.

"You'd better not be talking about going in search of that man again! Not tonight, of all nights!"

Fiyero's expression made it clear Elphaba's suspicious were exactly correct. "Ivy, when your sister came to give you that warning about my going on a trip, I told you I'd delay looking for him, not that I would never go. She told you I'd be in great danger... Maybe I will. But now there isn't only your life at stake. The curse could affect the baby too. I'm sure you've thought about that. Glinda happens to have a lead for me... A solid one. I can't miss the chance, Ivy. If he can make you well..."

"Or he could kill both of us, and now our child, too!" Elphaba cried. All the guests who remained watched her nervously. Glinda backed away, as if she really thought distance would protect her if Elphaba chose to strike out in her fury. "Do you think the wizard is stupid? If he still hates me as much as he did when he put this curse on me, he could just be biding his time. Counting on someone coming in search of him, so he can be brought to wherever I am! He would kill me, not cure me. Nessa said it was YOU who was in danger, and I believe that, too. Now, with the baby coming... That man is not coming anywhere near me. I will not risk the life of our child, and I can't believe you would, either!"

Before Fiyero could speak another word, Elphaba stormed out of the room, going swiftly up the staircase to the second level. Riordan offered to follow her first, to attempt to calm her temper before husband and wife spoke again. Fiyero thanked him, but shook his head at the same time. "This is my problem. Elphaba's anger isn't unexpected... or unjustified. We just need time to talk. I know you didn't come here to play host, but...:"

Riordan waved Fiyero toward the staircase. "I'll take care of things. Go, it's your wife who needs you. And I don't know if my opinion matters or not... But I think it's a bad idea too. There are too many risks. Warning or no warning."

Fiyero nodded grimly, then walked away. As he slowly mounted the stairs, he considered what he should say to his wife... Provided she would even allow him into the room, which was questionable. Still, he knocked gently on the door to their bedroom and waited, knowing Elphaba was inside. When she hadn't spoken after a moment, Fiyero did.

"Ivy, please let me in. I know you're in there... I know you're angry. You have a right to be. But please let me in, so we can really talk. Be as furious as you want, just talk to me. Please?"


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Elphaba at last opened the door to allow her husband to enter the room, she seemed spent of her anger, which puzzled Fiyero. He waited for Elphaba to speak, hoping an explanation would be fortcoming. But Elphaba simply walked to one of the large windows there in the room and stared out of it. Fiyero could see his wife's face in profile, and earnestly tried to read her expression. Though he stood there for what seemed like at least ten solid minutes, the look on Elphaba's face privided Fiyero with no definite clue to her thoughts. At last, he gave up trying to figure things out on his own, and softly asked her a question.

"What are you thinking?" Though he wanted to say more, Fiyero knew this was enough. Elphaba had at last allowed him into the room; He couldn't afford to push his luck and ask too many questions.

Elphaba answered her husband's question without turning her head to meet his eyes. "I'm wondering what I... what we will do if anything happens to you," she explained softly. Fiyero watched her as she spoke, seeing all of her emotions in her eyes. Fear, worry, sadness... but no anger. Not anymore. "I don't want our child to grow up without a father. When I first told you what Nessa said to me, you knew I thought she meant you'd probably die. That hasn't changed. I know you want to help me... To lift this curse from me. It isn't worth risking your own life for. It isn't."

"You're right," Fiyero replied immediately. Elphaba turned to look at him, her face filled with surprise. Fiyero went on quietly. "You've been trying to tell me all along that I was wrong. I wasn't really listening, and I'm sorry. I do want to help you, and right now that has nothing to do with the curse. Before we know it, we'll be parents. That's more than enough to think about. I promise you, Ivy, I'll never talk about searching for the wizard again. If there is another way to remove the curse... a much safer way, we will find it."

Elphaba only nodded silently at his words, but contentment was plain in her expression. The pair remained upstairs for several minutes more, just enjoying the quiet. Once they both felt all the tension had passed, Fiyero and Elphaba returned downstairs where their guests waited. Riordan was the first to approach Elphaba once she had descended the staircase.

"Is everything all right?" This was really only half a question. Riordan could see from Elphaba's expression that the conflict had been resolved. She looked at him and smiled.

"It's fine, Papa. Fiyero has promised he won't try to search for the wizard anymore. Come sit down, Papa. I need to ask you something."

Riordan did as she asked, watching her face and wondering what her question would be. Once they were both seated, Elphaba promptly told Riordan what was on her mind.

"Papa, I've been wondering... Once the baby comes, what can they call you? I mean... Of course at first the baby won't be able to call you anything. But we'll have to call you whatever name we want the baby to say, so..."

Elphaba knew she was floundering for words and probably sounded ridiculous. She looked away, embarrassed by how awkward the situation was. After a moment, Riordan gently gripped her by the shoulders and turned her to face him.

"The baby will call me Grandpapa, of course," Riordan said gently and without hesitation. "What other choice is there?"

"Well, since you aren't really my father, I didn't want to assume the baby could..."

"I am your father, Elphaba. It makes no difference to me that it isn't a biological fact and we have chosen each other as family instead. I am your father. This child, and any others you might have, will be my grandchildren."

Elphaba felt happy and relieved by his words. She hugged Riordan and thanked him, but then grew quiet. After a moment, Riordan spoke up again. "You look tired. Maybe it's time for everyone to leave now."

Elphaba reluctantly admitted this was probably best. As soon as Riordan told Glinda of Elphaba's wishes, the house emptied of company very quickly. Elphaba went directly upstairs to the bedroom, and moments later Fiyero followed her. Once they were both settled into bed, they laid awake for a time. Though it was usually their habit to converse for a short time before falling asleep, tonight they both lay quietly, having their own thoughts about the news they had shared with their family and friends.

Though Fiyero was mostly filled with excitement and anticipation, he worried about how the pregnancy might affect Elphaba's health. He knew exhaustion worsened the effect the spell had on her. He feared that by the time the due date drew near, his wife would be confined to bed for an extended period, unable even to walk thanks to intense pain. Unable to help himself, Fiyero reached out and took one of his wife's hands in his own, still saying nothing.

For her part, Elphaba was even more worried and apprehensive than her husband. She had not yet shared these feelings with him, and she expected them to grow as the pregnancy progressed. Though she was happy and looked forward to having a family, she had many doubts. Most of these resulted from the fact that she had no other woman to go to for advice. Elphaba had no idea what to expect... what was 'normal' for a pregnant woman and what wasn't. Worst of all, she had thought of her mother every day since the pregnancy had been confirmed. Knowing that her own mother had died in childbirth left Elphaba with a deep-seated, unspoken fear that the same thing would happen to her. Fiyero's hand grasping hers through the darkness was the only thing that kept her thoughts and feelings from overwhelming her.

* * *

The events of the next several months were quite mundane save for the baby-related shopping and other tasks. Both Fiyero and Elphaba took pleasure in shopping for the tiny clothes. The furniture for the nursery took time to find and have delivered, so they were glad they had begun looking as soon as possible. Over several weekends, Fiyero, Riordan and Travion worked on the nursery. The room Fiyero and Elphaba had chosen was first painted and several shelves installed along the walls. Then, the new carpeting was laid and the furniture was moved in from its temporary storage in a remaining spare room. Only once the room was completely ready did Elphaba come to inspect the results. Though she could have watched the project as it was progressing, she had chosen not to.

"It looks beautiful," Elphaba said, gently kissing her husband. The pale yellow of the walls was just as gentle and welcoming as Elphaba had imagined. There were many accents of this same pale yellow throughout the room. The furniture itself was wood, painted white. Elphaba especially seemed to like the large rocking chair that had been placed in one corner.

"That looks so comfortable right now," she said, gesturing toward the chair. "But if I sit down even for five minutes, I'll be asleep. That seems to be all I do lately. I'm only six months pregnant now... I hate to think how I'll feel in another two." She sighed, and Fiyero frowned.

"Is it really that bad? Maybe you should ask Glinda if you can take the time off until after the baby comes."

Elphaba scoffed slightly. "It's early for me to go on leave. Besides, now that I've been there all these months, it seems like there is always someone wanting to see me. Now I know how Glinda must feel. The work never seems to be done. I love it... but it can definitely seem endless. It keeps me busy though."

Elphaba seemed exhausted enough that Fiyero encouraged her to take a nap. Though he normally left her to her rest unless she was plagued by pain, something told Fiyero to remain in the room. Elphaba's sleep was deep, but restless. After a time, Fiyero saw tears slip from beneath Elphaba's closed eyelids. Thankfully, it wasn't long afterward that she awoke.

"Bad dreams again?" Fiyero whispered. "You've been having them so often lately. Tell me what they're about. Please?"

"I've told you before, they're nothing. I'm overtired, that's all." Elphaba turned away from her husband's intense gaze, obviously angered and agitated by his questions. But today, unlike other days, Fiyero was not willing to let the matter pass without further comment.

"Your dreams rarely mean nothing... and tears... Your tears ALWAYS mean something. What were you dreaming about?"

Elphaba sighed, and then tried to change the subject. Fiyero would have none of this, however. He pressed his wife to tell him what was wrong.

"Ivy, you've been having dreams at least once a week for months now. Obviously there is something serious bothering you. Tell me."

Elphaba still hesitated, but at last felt ready to respond. "Well, I worry a lot because I don't have anyone to talk to that's been through a pregnancy before. Glinda's mother hates me, and yours... I didn't feel like I should ask her anything. We barely know each other. And of course my mother, she..."

Fiyero was able to complete Elphaba's thought silently, and realization settled on his face. He frowned, but his eyes were filled with deep sympathy. "Your mother died following childbirth," he said, his tone grave, but made weak by the fact that he was nearly crying. "And now you're afraid the same thing will happen to you. Ivy, why didn't you say something sooner? I know I can't change what happened to her, but I could have comforted you."

"You are, right now," Elphaba whispered. "I was reluctant to tell you because you worry so much already. It isn't that I'm sorry we're having a child. I just want to be here to watch the baby grow up."

"You will be." Fiyero's voice was nearly fierce at these words, but softened as he went on. "We can't keep saying 'the baby' all the time. We haven't even talked about names yet. Though of course, a son will be named after me anyway, won't he?" Fiyero's tone was light, but he meant what he said. Elphaba smiled and nodded, then spoke.

"What happens if it's a girl? I'm not naming HER after you." As a feigned wounded expression crossed Fiyero's face, Elphaba laughed. "Really though, she will need a name," Elphaba went on. "Any ideas?"

"Not really. I'm sure we'll think of one. We still have three months. I bet it's a boy, anyway."

Fiyero sounded so sure of and pleased by this prospect that Elphaba felt a touch of sadness. For just within the last two weeks, she had become certain that the child she was carrying was a girl. Though there had been no actual visions of the future to show Elphaba what their daughter looked like, she simply knew. The child was a girl.

"You won't be disappointed if it's a daughter... Will you?"

At the anxiety in Elphaba's voice, Fiyero frowned again. "Of course not. Maybe she'll look like you."

Fiyero sounded thrilled at this possibility. Elphaba, however, had quite a different opinion. "Maybe. And what if she looks like me? If she despises me for bringing her into a world where most people will hate her, then I suppose that's what I'll deserve."

"Hey, that's enough of that talk. Any child of ours will have more people to love them from the minute they're born than you had growing up. If she looks like you, then she'll be beautiful. You're going to make a wonderful mother. I know you will, even if you have doubts."

"I love you, Fiyero." That was all Elphaba said. Fiyero waited for something further, but that simple, direct statement said everything Elphaba wished to express. Love, gratitude, a sense of comfort. After this, Elphaba felt relaxed enough to try going back to sleep. Fiyero remained there, watching her, running one hand through her hair. "I love you too, Elphaba," he whispered. A moment later, Elphaba was asleep.

* * *

When Elphaba was a month away from her due date, she reluctantly took a leave of absence from her job. Though she was often very tired. this did not cause any major bouts of pain. As much as possible, Fiyero remained at home during the final month. Elphaba's anxieties over what may happen during the birth were eased somewhat by a couple of early visits from a midwife. Due to the older woman's lack of surprise at seeing the color of Elphaba's skin, she was sure Fiyero had spoken to the woman beforehand.

Two weeks after Elphaba began her leave, Riordan arrived for a visit. Seeing his many pieces of luggage, Elphaba raised her eyebrows. "Are you visiting or moving in?" she said as she watched him carry in a third suitcase. Though her tone was light, Riordan's was serious.

"I'm staying until the baby is born, and I know you're both all right. I know we already talked about my visiting, and I've come sooner than you expected, but..."

All happiness left Elphaba's face. "He told you. Fiyero told you what I said to him about my dreams. I didn't ask him not to... But why does he always have to tell other people everything?!"

"Because he's worried about you," Riordan replied calmly. "He said that if I were staying here, he wouldn't feel so bad about having to leave you all day on weekdays. You can be angry at me... at us, for wanting to take care of you, if you want to. But you can't make me leave now that I'm here."

Riordan's voice was not angry. It held only concern and love, and Elphaba could not summon any anger of her own. "I don't want you to leave, Papa," she whispered. Riordan couldn't hold himself back any longer from hugging her. They stayed like that for a moment as he asked Elphaba a question.

"Have you stopped having those horrible dreams now? When Fiyero told me what you're so afraid of, I was frightened too. Not that your dreams will come true... I'm frightened for you because all the anxiety can't be good for you or the baby."

Elphaba was touched by his concern, but encouraged him not to worry. "The midwife has been here lately, and she says everything seems just fine. I haven't been having any signs of the labor starting soon, so she says it should be at least the two weeks more before the baby comes. She should be just fine, so..."

Elphaba caught her slip too late, and looked away in dismay. Riordan immediately picked up the meaning of Elphaba's words. "You know it's a girl, there's nothing wrong with that. My wife said she was sure she was having a girl by the third month."

"No, Papa, you don't understand," Elphaba said with a frown. "I'm not talking about simple intuition. I know I'm having a girl because sometimes... Sometimes I can see things that haven't happened yet."

Elphaba wasn't sure why she had chosen this time to tell her surrogate father of her talent for precognition. When Riordan's face filled with fear, Elphaba was certain she had made a mistake. "That's why Fiyero was so worried about the dreams you've been having," he said, his voice hollow. "He's frightened because they might not be only dreams... They might come true. Something told me I had to come here ahead of schedule. Sweet Oz..."

Riordan actually looked a bit pale, and now it was Elphaba's turn to worry about him. "Papa," she said anxiously, resting a hand on his arm. "The things I see don't always happen the way I think they will. I can't keep you from worrying, and I'll admit sometimes I've been very afraid of what might happen. But lately I haven't been having any dreams about the birth... I think that's a good sign."

This news calmed Riordan's fears, and soon father and daughter were seated on the living room couch, discussing happier things. "So, what will this new granddaughter of mine be called? You have picked a name, haven't you?"

A bright smile lit Elphaba's face at his question. "Yes. It took us a while to find something we both liked, but we've decided her first name will be Graiya. It's not a family name for either of us, but it sounds strong and feminine at the same time. Her middle name will be Rose. That was my sister's middle name..."

Riordan nodded without a word, knowing that any mention of Elphaba's sister brought a deep sadness to her eyes. "It's a beautiful name," Riordan whispered sincerely. "I will enjoy every minute of spoiling her. Only two of my suitcases are actually full of my things. The other one is full of gifts for the baby, and for you and Fiyero. I hope you don't mind, since we didn't even talk about what you might still need, or..."

"Papa, it's fine that you brought gifts. It's very sweet. I'd be happy to look at them later, once Fiyero gets home. Right now, I think a nap sounds like a very good idea."

Though it took her time to get settled in bed due to the advanced stage of her pregnancy, Elphaba was soon settled into bed. Out of habit, Elphaba caressed her expanded belly with one hand while talking out loud to her unborn child.

"Just a little bit longer, and we'll be able to meet each other. Your Papa and I can't wait to see you. You have grandparents and even an aunt waiting for you too. Glinda isn't really your aunt, but that won't matter. I just want you to be healthy and strong. We already love you so much, Graiya."

Riordan, who had lingered in the doorway, smiled at Elphaba's words. "Have you been talking to her like that a long time? I think it's sweet."

Elphaba returned the smile. "I've done it for most of the pregnancy. It wasn't on anyone's advice... I just thought it was a good idea. I'm careful about it, because I usually call her by her name... I'd like Fiyero to be surprised by the sex of the baby. It's kind of disappointing that I can't be too. But I love her so much already... I know it would be strange if I didn't. But I didn't expect it to be so powerful, when I haven't even given birth to her yet."

"The sign of a perfect mother-to-be," Riordan said softly. He remained there, watching Elphaba until she dropped off to sleep. Seeing the serenity in her face, his own anxieties faded a little. Though he was wise enough to know there were always risks involved with childbirth, and that Elphaba's visions may still come to pass, her own joy at the impending arrival lightened his heart.

* * *

As it turned out, the day Graiya came into the world held nothing but joy for her family. Though the labor was as painful as was to be expected, it progressed quickly once it began in earnest. The midwife was of course in attendance, along with Fiyero and Riordan. At first the midwife had objected to any male besides the husband being present. But once the unique family circumstances were explained, he was allowed to stay.

As the labor intensified, Elphaba managed the pain so well that it surprised the midwife. Riordan and Fiyero, however, knew precisely why Elphaba was tolerating things so well. It was only as the baby was actually entering the world that Elphaba screamed for the first time. She held fast to one of Fiyero's hands as she pushed. The baby was delivered quickly, and when everyone heard the first tiny cry, they were relieved.

After the midwife announced that the child was a girl, Elphaba spoke, ignoring her exhaustion, her every thought focused on her newborn daughter. "I want to see her," she said urgently. "I want to hold her first."

Fiyero was not exactly surprised by his wife's declaration, but tried to dissuade her upon seeing the disapproving look on the midwife's face. "Ivy, we need to wait just a few minutes, until after the midwife..."

He trailed off at Elphaba's hostile expression, and her surprisingly strong words. "She is our daughter... I'm her mother. I want to hold her right now."

Fiyero realized why his wife was so anxious, his face filling with sadness. No one in the room spoke of Elphaba's fear of dying. It was on all of their minds, even though they understood both mother and child were likely to be just fine.

"Okay, Ivy. If Riordan can help you sit up, I'll bring our daughter to you."

In mere moments, Fiyero was standing beside the bed holding his newborn child, waiting for Elphaba to be comfortable enough to take her. When he placed the child carefully in her mother's arms, he smiled brightly.

"She's so beautiful. Just like you." Elphaba knew Fiyero meant what he said, but as she looked down into the face of her tiny, green-skinned daughter, Elphaba could not help feeling a twinge of sadness. She wondered how much rejection the little girl would suffer... If it would be as scarring as what Elphaba herself had gone through. Fiyero and Riordan both sensed the sadness that settled in the room. Surprisingly, it was Riordan who spoke.

"Your daughter is a healthy child, Elphaba. You can see that. She is healthy, and wanted. Be grateful you have her."

"I am." Elphaba said almost fiercely, cradling the baby closer. "Of course I love her... I've looked forward to this day, and it hasn't been spoiled just because she looks like me. We all knew there was the chance of that. She will not be rejected by her family the way I was. Not ever."

Though she was exhausted and barely had the strength to continue holding the baby, Elphaba was not yet ready to let her go. The child was not fussy, and did not cry. Her eyes were closed, as if she were already napping. Elphaba ran one finger gently along the baby's cheek. At the touch, the tiny girl opened her eyes. Though everyone present knew newborns could not really see much, it certainly appeared that the baby was looking straight into her mother's eyes.

"Hello, my little Graiya Rose. Your Papa and I are so happy to have you. Mama is very tired now, so I'm going to let your grandpapa hold you and say hello." Very carefully, Riordan took his granddaughter into his arms. He talked softly to her for a moment or two, but the midwife soon tired of seeing the baby be handled so much, and insisted upon taking charge of her. It was only after mother and child were asleep that Glinda and Travion came by to see if the baby had arrived. They were each allowed only the briefest glimpse of their new little niece, but they were both thrilled that everything had gone well. Fiyero remained nearby to his wife and daughter. Though he said little, he was constantly grinning and looking as proud as it was possible for a new father to be. Though Elphaba was sound asleep, Fiyero knelt beside the bed and spoke to her anyway.

"Graiya is so perfect, Ivy... And just as beautiful as you. I can't wait to find out how much she is like you in other ways. I love you both so much. I couldn't ask for a more perfect family."


	7. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Since in the play version Doctor Dillamond has no first name, I have given him one. Also, later in the chapter, the name Stavna is in honor of Stephen Schwartz. This chapter is longer than my usual, but maybe that will make up for the delay in updating. Please review if you have a minute. There is much ahead for this story, but encouragement always helps. Thanks!

Chapter 5

Graiya turned out to be a miniature version of her mother in many ways. Besides her physical appearance, her personality seemed quite the same. There were differences, though, which resulted from the fact that Graiya was so loved by her family. She was usually a very calm, contented child. She was also a watchful child, even at less than three years old. Despite her age, Graiya had yet to speak a single word.

Naturally, Graiya's silence deeply worried her family. The little girl was developing normally in every other way. She had been taken for tests once her lack of vocalization became obvious, and it was determined that she could hear perfectly well. It was soon certain that the lack of speech was not due to any physical cause, which left her parents frightened and puzzled.

"Maybe it's something we've done," Elphaba said once they arrived home and could talk in private. "I've taken Graiya with me to my job almost every day since she was born, because we agreed no child of ours would ever have a nanny. You've taken her with you on your share of days too. Maybe we were wrong. Exposing her to so many people so soon... Maybe someone that came to see me hurt Graiya somehow. Or it could be that I... I haven't loved her enough."

"NO!" Fiyero cried, so loudly it startled his wife. "It is not your fault. You've done nothing but love our daughter since the day she was born. I've done the same... It isn't our fault, Ivy. It isn't."

"Then why won't she talk?" Elphaba felt a tear slide down each cheek, but made no move to wipe them away. Her pain did not matter right now.

"I don't know," Fiyero admitted. "We've tried everything the doctor has suggested, and even a few things we thought of ourselves. Maybe she just isn't ready. We know she can hear, and she's so observant and quick to learn other things we know she's intelligent. Maybe she just isn't ready to talk." Fiyero repeated this as if he were trying to convince himself. Elphaba, however, was not having it.

"She's almost three, Fiyero! A three year old child who does not speak isn't normal! Even the Animals that come to me for help can--"

Elphaba's stopped speaking so suddenly it was as if she herself had gone mute. Fiyero watched his wife's face, which was filled with such intense sadness it hurt to see it. He could guess at what she was about to say, but waited patiently, not wanting to intrude on her thoughts.

"I'm being punished," Elphaba said at last. "Doctor Dillamond... No one ever found him. If they had, and I could have set things right, maybe this wouldn't be happening to our little girl. I work so hard trying to help the Animals, but it will take years to get things back to the way they were. If I'm not doing enough, why is it Graiya that has to suffer? It should be me, because what happened is my fault, not hers!"

"Ivy, I want you to stop talking like that. What happened to the doctor was not your fault. It was the wizard's, you know that. You've done so much already to make things right. You've been to the university and seen it for yourself. Now, all kinds of Animals go there to be taught to speak again. Soon, some of them should be ready to take positions as professors. Then Shiz can be just what Dillamond told you it used to be. Animals and people, working there together... with equal status. That is the way things should be, and you are making it happen. You should be proud."

Without a word, Elphaba strode out of the room, going to their daughter's bedroom instead. The child had been put down for a nap as soon as the family had arrived home, and she was now fast asleep. Graiya had been given a child-sized bed in place of her crib some months earlier. Elphaba knelt beside the little bed, intently watching her sleeping daughter. After a moment, Fiyero joined them.

"I just want to hear her voice," Elphaba whispered, another pair of tears scalding their way down her cheeks. "Even Glinda and Travion have tried to help. Every time we bring Graiya to visit, Glinda can see how upset I am... It makes her cry, I know it does. She tries to hide it from me. But sometimes, she'll walk out of the room for a minute, and when she comes back, I can still see the traces of her tears. At least their little Olive seems just fine... She's barely a year old, and she can say 'Mama' as clear as day. I want to hear that word... More than anything, I want Graiya to call me Mama."

"I know," Fiyero said gently, leaning over to kiss his wife's forehead. "I can't wait to hear her call me Papa, either. We'll just keep doing what we've been doing, and hope for the best. The new baby will be here in a few months. You need to take care of yourself, start resting more. I heard you start gasping the other day, and all you were doing was walking the half block from Glinda's to here. You've been so tired lately."

"I'm starting to get used to it." Elphaba was spared having to make any further reply when Graiya stirred restlessly in her bed. After a moment, the little girl opened her eyes, but her expression was distant, her eyes nearly glassy. Both of her parents tried to bring her around, but it was only at Elphaba's touch that Graiya was able to focus. She reached for her mother's hand and would not let go.

"She's trembling," Elphaba whispered with alarm. "I saw that look on her face a minute ago. Maybe she's sick."

Elphaba lifted the child from her bed, cradling her in her lap. Fiyero rested a hand on his daughter's forehead. "No fever, at least not yet. We'll have to watch for that."

They both knew what a serious matter a fever would be, since Graiya had inherited her mother's sensitivity to water as well as the color of her skin. It had not taken long for this to become clear. For whenever Graiya had cried as a baby, the pitch of her cries made it clear she was in agony. Graiya had not been a fussy or sickly infant, however, and she had cried much less often than most babies. Whether this was because the little one realized it was the weeping that increased her pain, her parents did not know.

"You need rest anyway, Elphaba. Take Graiya in there with you. You know how she loves to cuddle next to you. Maybe it will help."

"Maybe." Within moments, Elphaba and her small daughter were settled into bed in the master suite. Graiya lay quietly, her trembling beginning to ease after several moments. As was her habit, Graiya snuggled close to her mother's side, twining one hand gently into her mother's hair.

"Sleep now, Aya," Elphaba whispered. "It's been a long day. You didn't finish your nap."

Elphaba settled in beside her child, allowing her eyes to slip shut. Just as sleep nibbled at her, Elphaba was roused by sudden sound, directly in her ear.

"I saw you fall down, Mama. It scared me. You didn't get up."

Elphaba sat up, and Graiya followed suit without any prompting from her mother. Though she felt sure she knew the answer, Elphaba had to ask a question.

"When did you see that, Aya?"

The little girl looked down, making no answer. Elphaba couldn't actually see the anxiety and fear in her daughter's eyes, but she could feel it in the air. She was surprised at how clearly Graiya had spoken, and how her vocabulary seemed perfectly well matched to her age. Elphaba guessed that the doctors had been correct; Graiya's lack of speech had not been due to any physical defect. Instead, Elphaba felt that her daughter's lack of speech was caused by something she had hoped not to pass on to any child she might have. Elphaba's suspicions were confirmed when Graiya spoke again.

"I saw it in my head when I was asleep. It scared me. Are you sick?"

Elphaba knew that her daughter had a vision of the future. She also realized Graiya was far too young to understand any talk of curses or the ability of second sight. Instead, when Elphaba replied, she made things as direct and comforting as she could, while still being honest.

"Sometimes I feel sick, but Papa takes care of me. I always get better." After a pause, Elphaba hugged her daughter tightly and told her how happy she was to finally hear her voice. Graiya hung her head again.

"I'm sorry. Papa needs to help you, Mama. I don't want you to get sick!"

Graiya didn't cry, since she already knew it was painful for her to do so. She did throw her arms around her mother, and had no desire to let go. After they had sat quietly like this for a while, Elphaba suggested they go share the news that Graiya was finally talking.

Graiya agreed, and they both got up. As they walked to the living room, Graiya held tightly to her mother's hand, resisting the urge to ask to be carried. Fiyero looked up as they entered, and from the excited look on Elphaba's face, he knew something was going on. Graiya took a step forward and spoke before either of her parents could.

"Papa, can we go outside?" Graiya wasn't sure why this was the way she chose to let her father know she was finally speaking. All she knew was that going outside to play sounded like a really good idea.

As far as Fiyero was concerned, what his daughter said mattered very little. Hearing her speak at all took him so by surprise that he burst into tears. He walked over and knelt in front of the child, drawing her into a hug.

"Aya, of course we can. We can do anything you want. I'm so glad to finally hear you call me Papa. It's the best thing I've ever heard."

* * *

Despite frequently being exhausted, Elphaba continued to work well into her second pregnancy. By now, the citizens of the city had mostly grown accustomed to Elphaba's comings and goings. The guards that had originally been employed had not been needed by the end of the first year. While this was partly due to Elphaba's close friendship with Glinda, her acceptance had mostly come about because of Elphaba's own devotion to the cause of helping the Animals. There were those who opposed her efforts, but they were disorganized and not particularly outspoken.

On a day Graiya had gone with her father to the tea shop, Elphaba decided to venture outside of the city limits. She knew this would likely be her last chance to observe the progress being made at the university before taking a leave from her job. She arrived in late morning, and went directly to where she knew the classes were held. Though she entered the room quietly and remained in the back to prevent disrupting the lesson, she saw several of the Animals watching her as discreetly as they could.

Though Elphaba tried her best to keep a low profile, word spread quickly among the Animals about who their greatest advocate was. Now, as she stood quietly observing, Elphaba realized that the looks on the Animals' faces were ones of appreciation... Even love. One Animal seated on the far side of the room looked in Elphaba's direction, but quickly looked away again. However, that one glance was enough to make Elphaba gasp. She moved slowly nearer, and as she approached the student, she knew her initial reaction had not been unwarranted. Not caring now about interrupting the lesson, Elphaba stood beside the desk and prepared to speak. Before she could, Dr. Dillamond met her eyes, then silently stood and walked from the room, beckoning her to follow.

They adjourned to the hallway just outside the classroom, not wanting to take the time to go in search of a more private place to talk. Dr. Dillamond just looked into Elphaba's eyes for nearly a full minute. She wondered if he was simply at a loss for what to say... Or perhaps he didn't really remember who she was. But when he spoke at last, Elphaba's worry was immediately dispelled.

"My, look at you, Elphaba. What a beautiful woman you've grown to be."

Elphaba was embarrassed by the compliment, and looked down as she whispered a thank you. Dillamond waited patiently for her to return her gaze to his face before continuing.

"I was so surprised to see you walk in. Of course, I have heard the other Animals talking, and I knew it could have been no one but you they were talking about, even if they hadn't called you by name. I'm so happy to see you, dear. To show you that I'm almost back to what I once was."

Elphaba smiled, and forced away happy tears that threatened to fall. Unable to help herself, she drew her former teacher into a brief but very warm hug.

"Doctor, I never thought I'd see you again. I've come to look in on the progress of the lessons before. I haven't seen you before today."

Dillamond's reply was a little slow in coming, as if he were not able to form the words. His hesitation was so brief, however, that it caused Elphaba no real concern.

"I'm sorry it took this long for us to meet again. I've been coming here for some time. The others said they were starting to wonder when you'd be back. I would guess you've been preoccupied... When is your baby due?"

At this question, Elphaba;'s smile widened. "Just about three months from now. I already have one daughter. I'd love for you to meet her. She's been coming with me to my job since she was an infant. She won't be afraid of you, Doctor."

Dillamond waved away the title. "I'm no instructor. Not anymore. My first name is Taliesin. Of course when you were a student it wouldn't have been proper for you to call me that. But you're an adult now. Would you be comfortable calling me by my first name?"

Dillamond's eyes were so warm and gentle that Elphaba could only make one reply. "Of course. Of course I would. Please, come visit me at home, meet my family. I live in the Emerald City..." here Elphaba paused and laughed a little sheepishly. "I suppose you could have guessed that. Anyway, you should get back to your lesson. I'll write down my address and give it to you afterward."

Elphaba returned to the classroom to observe the rest of the lesson. Once it had ended, she gave Doctor Dillamond her address as promised. Though she did remember to call him by his first name as they parted, the name felt strange in her mouth. She thought Taliesin was a very pretty name, though, and had little doubt she would get used to it.

Dillamond's visit almost a week later was a very pleasant change in routine. Elphaba was tired from a long day of work, but she had been so looking forward to this day that she didn't even consider asking her friend to change plans. Elphaba's excitement was contagious, and by the time Dillamond arrived, even Graiya couldn't wait to meet him.

When Dillamond arrived, Fiyero was not yet home, but it was enough of an event for him to meet Elphaba's daughter. When he saw her resemblance to her mother, his whole face lit up.

"She's the picture of you, dear," he said softly. "I hoped she would look like you... I have such fond memories of you from our brief time together at the university. Being like you can only be a blessing."

Elphaba took a moment to respond, embarrassed by the sincere compliment. Graiya watched the exchange curiously, waiting for her mother to answer.

"Thank you, Doctor... I mean Taliesin. It will take some getting used to that name. Please sit down, so we can talk."

Dillamond did as requested, and Graiya immediately sat directly beside him, studying his face. After a moment she smiled, deciding she liked him very much. Elphaba left them to talk quietly for a few minutes, during which time Dillamond asked Graiya how old she was and if she was excited about the new baby that was on the way.

"It will be nice to have a sister or brother. But Mama gets sick sometimes. I don't like that part."

"Well, that happens to ladies sometimes when they're having babies. After the baby comes your mama will feel better." He smiled, sure this woud reassure the child, but Graiya frowned and shook her head.

:"Mama gets sick a lot, not just when she has a baby inside. It scares Papa and me." Graiya looked uncertainly in her mother's direction and saw her frowning. The little girl got up from the couch and went quickly to her mother's side. "I'm sorry, Mama... Did I tell a secret? Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not angry, I promise. Mama has to talk about some grown up things, so why don't you go draw some pretty pictures for our guest? I'm sure he'd like that."

Graiya balked, but at Dillamond's encouraging words, the child went quietly to her room, holding in any complaints about being treated like a baby. After she had gone, Elphaba took the seat beside Taliesin and began to reluctantly explain what her daughter had meant moments before. Once the full details of what had been done to Elphaba by the wizard were out in the open, Taliesin's eyes burned with anger.

"I never thought I would find out that despicable man did anything worse than what he did to all the Animals. And now... He did that all because you stood up to him. You wanted people to know what he was really like. That's why he did it, isn't it?"

Elphaba nodded, but did not say anything. She listened patiently as Taliesin continued. "The other Animals told me things... Filled in the gaps, you could say. After I ran away that day you last saw me, I lived on my own for quite some time. No Animal or Human could have found me, I don't believe. Therefore, it took time for me to hear that the wizard had been deposed, and that Glinda was ruling in his place. Even then, it took me time to gather the courage to come anywhere near the city again. I must say, your friend does have much more aptitude in her current position than she ever had in history class."

Elphaba laughed softly at this, then she and her former teacher sat talking until Fiyero came in the door. He greeted Dillamond enthusiastically, and was glad the man remembered him, since he had been far from exemplary in his class. Dillamond then excused himself to fetch something from his carriage. In moments he returned, carefully carrying a large box with him. He immediately presented this to Elphaba, placing it gently in her hands. As he stepped back, he actually bowed, which made both Elphaba and Fiyero intensely curious as to what was inside. After the box was opened and Elphaba sat down so she could drape the large quilt over her knees, Taliesin explained its significance.

"That was made for my mother by some Human friends of hers, people I knew in my youth. Of course, there was no antagonism or hatred between us then, at least nothing obvious. My mother passed that on to me and told me that it was a symbol of the respect and friendship that can exist between Animals and Humans. They spent hours piecing it together, sewing every square by hand. I give it to you now in the spirit my mother intended it, to pass down to your children. I'm getting older now, I will have no children to treasure it. It is yours, Elphaba. There is no one else that deserves it more than you."

Fiyero thanked Taliesin before Elphaba did, mostly because she was so overwhelmed by her friend's thoughtfulness. She at last found words to express her gratitude, and Taliesin grinned widely at her acceptance. Shortly thereafter, Graiya emerged from her room and presented him with two drawings she had made. Though they were simple and had more to do with color than design, Taliesin promised to keep them, and secured a promise from Graiya that she would draw something else for him the next time he visited.

Soon after this, the friends parted. Taliesin promised to return, and Elphaba assured him he had an open invitation. Though the family dinner that night was quieter than usual, Fiyero could see peace and contentment in Elphaba's eyes. A burden had been lifted from her now that she knew Dillamond was all right. Still, their second child was due soon, and Elphaba's fear of dying during the birth had resurfaced. They discussed it very little, for fear Graiya may overhear. The midwife had yet to visit, but would soon. Graiya's excitement over a new baby helped her parents to feel more optimistic as well. Overall, their little family was in a very good state of mind.

* * *

Six and a half years later

In the years that had passed, many things had changed, but just as many had stayed the same. The family added another daughter by the name of Stavna Idan. Riordan continued in his role as Elphaba's father and as grandfather to her children. He most often visited the city alone since his wife had unfortunately made up her mind never to accept Elphaba. Things with Fiyero's mother, however, had greatly improved. The queen was very accepting of and loving toward her two little granddaughters, and this had done much to make things go more smoothly between she and Elphaba.

Taliesin visited nearly monthly, though he was now growing quite old. He had taken up residence in the city, however, and that made visits easier. It delighted both he and Elphaba that there were now several Animals on the faculty rolls at Shiz, and that number promised to increase. Animals also owned several shops in the city, selling goods to the general public. These were frequented by Animals and Humans alike. The city seemed nearly what it was before the wizard had arrived. Though many gave virtually all of the credit to Glinda, some people had the sense to realize that it was impossible for so much to be accomplished by a single person.

Fiyero's old friend Colverus still visited as often as possible, though his own job in his home province kept him away more than he liked. He had not yet married, and seemed to long for the sort of marital companionship and respect that Elphaba and Fiyero shared. When he was able to visit, he laished all of his pent-up affections on his friends, as well as Graiya and Stavna.

Thought it hadn't seemed possible after the unexpected way Glinda, Elphaba and Fiyero had at last seen each other again, their bond of friendship had deepened to an almost inexpressible level. They were often like one family, blood relations rather than friends. They were, along with Travion, aunt and uncle to each other's children. Olive, Glinda and Travion's now nearly eight year old daughter, was a quiet but resentful child. Olive adored her father, but was already alternately distant or indifferent toward her mother. She made it clear that she did not like her mother working so much, whether it was to help the city or not. Glinda had lately begun to refuse invitations that she would normally have accepted without hesitation. This pleased not only Olive, but also Travion, who had begun to tire of so often being without his wife's company. He did not often attend balls or dinners with her, as he was still a very shy, home-loving sort of person.

Elphaba was now nearing the end of her third pregnancy. Though everyone looked forward to the new child's arrival, this pregnancy had been much harder on Elphaba than the previous two. She had been forced to leave her job months ahead of when she had planned. Fiyero had likewise taken a leave in the last two months, because he was too afraid to leave his wife home alone. Both Stavna and Graiya were at school all day every weekday, and it wasn't always possible for someone else to look in on Elphaba.

Thought it was very early, and also the weekend, no one in Elphaba's home was asleep on this day. As usual, Stavna woke first, when the sun had barely poked its head over the horizon. She sat up and spoke excitedly. "Aya, are you awake? I'm going to sneak in and cuddle with Mama and Papa. Will you come?"

Nine-year-old Graiya turned over in bed, looked at her clock and groaned, wanting to pull the blankets over her head. She locked eyes with her sister, who was still under the covers of her own bed, though she was fidgety and obviously itching to be up and about.

"It's just after six o'clock in the morning. Let them sleep. It's the weekend, they don't have to be up. YOU don't have to be up." Graiya turned toward the wall again, trying to ignore her sister as she got up and started to sing to herself as she got into her robe and slippers.

"Do you have to sing all the time? I'm tired. If you can't stop that, then fine, go bother Mama. Just let me go back to sleep, okay?"

Graiya tried to be gentle, knowing her little six-year-old sister always sang when she was happy. Besides, it wasn't her fault if she was a morning person but Graiya herself wasn't. Still, as Graiya peeked to see what her sister was doing, she saw the younger girl hang her head as she left the room, the tune on her lips dying away.

Once Stavna was in the hallway, she nearly ran to her parents' room. She did remember to stop and listen to see if her parents were awake and she might be bothering them. Hearing nothing, Stavna burst through the door, only to be rewarded with the sound of her mother crying out in pain. Stavna watched as her mother turned away from the daylight streaming in the doorway. In that moment, Stavna knew that something was very wrong, and whatever it was seemed to be her fault. Tears welling in her eyes, the little girl went quickly back the way she had come, kicking off her slippers and not even bothering to remove her robe before scampering back into bed, pulling the covers tightly up to her chin as she burst into tears.

Graiya sat up instantly and climbed out of her own bed to join her sister in the other. She gently rubbed her sister's back as she asked her what the matter was.

"When I went into the bedroom, Mama sort of screamed. All... all I did was open the door. I didn't do anything wrong, Mama and Papa let me come in all the time! I didn't mean to hurt Mama!"

Stavna was now nearly inconsolable, but Graiya still spoke quietly. "I don't think you did anything. Mama doesn't feel good sometimes, and with the baby on the way she feels sick even more. Remember, Papa explained that to us? Sometimes Mama has to stay in bed and get lots of sleep. Papa will take care of her. It's happened before."

Graiya was so calm that Stavna was confused. "Aren't you scared?" the younger girl asked.

"Yes," Graiya answered, trying not to sound too frightened and spook her sister more than she already was. "But we just have to be good, try to take care of ourselves today. Papa needs to stay with Mama."

"I don't want to stay here," Stavna confessed, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. Graiya had been hugging her sister from behind, but now pulled away, before any of the tears had a chance to splash on her skin and burn her. Graiya knew she had inherited this trait from her mother, while Stavna had inherited neither their mother's skin color nor the affliction that came with it. She sometimes felt almost envious of Stavna for her capacity to cry... To have some outlet for her sadness. Though Stavna was normally a very happy girl, when it came to her family, she was easily upset.

"Maybe we can go play with Olive today. If we go to Aunt Glinda's house, she'd let us stay. We're big enough to walk there, it's only half a block. As long as you promise to hold my hand."

"Okay," Stavna agreed tearfully. She paused, then asked worriedly, "Did I hurt you? My crying... I know I'm not supposed to..."

"If you need to cry, that's what you do," Graiya whispered, sounding both sad and somewhat bitter. "Try to get yourself ready. I'm going to go see about Mama."

Stavna protested as her big sister left the room, but Graiya did not hear the words. All of her thoughts were focused on her mother, and the vision she had of her just before falling asleep the previous night. A vision she hoped was a lie.

As Graiya neared the door to her parents' room, she hesitated. She could hear both of their voices inside, but her mother's voice was quiet, even wispy. Even when she was sad, her voice never sounded like that. Graiya knocked hesitantly, and was immediately allowed to enter. For a moment, she simply took in her surroundings. The curtains were closed, as were her mother's eyes. But she was not sleeping. She was whispering, saying I love you in a way that suddenly made Graiya very frightened indeed.

Graiya wanted to say something to her mother, something that might make her feel better. She could think of nothing, and looked to her father instead. "Papa," she began, but her voice was so weak she had to begin again. "Papa, I need to ask you something. Outside, okay? I don't think I should be in here..."

Fiyero agreed to his daughter's request, seeing the obvious anxiety in her face. He told his oldest child that he could only afford to be out of the room for a few minutes. Graiya nodded and rapidly told of Stavna's earlier upset, and of their plan to leave the house at least for the day. Fiyero nodded sadly, knowing this was best. Nothing could have prepared him for his daughter's next question.

"Papa, is... Is Mama going to die?"


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Rage flared in Fiyero's eyes at this last word. Graiya saw this, but did not flinch away, seeming to know the fury was not directed at her. She waited, and at last received an answer.

"I don't know," Fiyero answered honestly. "I do think it would be better for you to go out of the house today. Your sister doesn't need to be any more upset, and neither do you. I didn't hear you having a bad dream last night... So when did you see what you're afraid will happen to your mother?"

"Before I fell asleep," Graiya replied, her voice trembling. "I wasn't even thinking of... It just happened, Papa. It wasn't like I was wishing for anything bad to happen to her! The image just came... Just because I saw it doesn't mean it will really happen, right? When Mama has the visions come into her head, they always come true! I've never had one that was so real before..." Graiya was physically trembling now, and her father drew her close.

"I don't know what might happen," Fiyero repeated. "I wish I could tell you something happy, but I have always said I will do my best to be honest. You are older, you know sometimes your mother can't get out of bed... That she can hardly breathe."

Graiya drew away from her father, a sad and very adult expression settling on her face. "Yes, Papa. I need to go see if Avna is ready. We'll leave soon. Just stay with Mama, she needs you more than we do right now. I can manage."

"No, Aya," Fiyero said, his voice suddenly urgent. "You're frightened, and I need to be with you and your sister. I can help you pack some things and walk you to Aunt Glinda's house. Mama will understand, she'd want me to do things that way."

Tears welled In Graiya's eyes, but she was determined not to let them fall. In that moment, Fiyero thought she looked more like her mother than she ever had before. The resemblance was uncanny to begin with.

"She needs you. I'm too scared to see you leave her alone anymore. Maybe if you stay, she won't..."

Graiya walked away as her voice trailed off, heading to her room to pack up the things she would need to spend a day or two away from home. Fiyero turned to go back to his wife. As he opened the door, it was not him Elphaba was speaking to.

"Aya," Elphaba called as loudly as she could. "Come sit here next to me."

Though she was halfway down the hall, Graiya heard her mother's words and returned immediately to the bedroom. She hesitated only slightly before sitting on the bed. The child studied her mother's face and frowned.

"You need sleep," she declared, sounding more like the parent than the child. "You weren't up all night because of the pain... Were you?"

"No, not all night. I want you to go with Papa to your aunt's house. Try to have a good time there. I will be here when you get home."

"Are you sure?" Graiya's voice was trembling again. "I'm afraid to go, Stavna is afraid to stay. I'm old enough to help take care of you," she said determinedly. "If Avna wasn't such a baby, we could just stay here!"

"You know it's not nice to call your sister names," Elphaba scolded gently. "You can't blame her for being scared. It might help if you admitted you are, too."

Graiya looked up guiltily, then nodded. "Mama, last night I saw... I don't think I can say it. It was like a nightmare, but I was awake."

Elphaba frowned, understanding what her daughter was trying not to say. The family had known for years that Graiya shared her mother's ability to see the future. Only within the last year, the visions had begun to come while Graiya was awake, as her mother's did.

"You have to trust Papa to take care of me," Elphaba said quietly. "I know it can't be easy, because I can imagine what you saw. But I don't want you or your sister to stay here and see me like this anymore. You're not a baby, and I know you want to help. But you're still too young. I don't want you to be more upset."

"Okay, Mama," Graiya agreed reluctantly. "If Grandpapa is at Aunt Glinda's house today, should I ask him to come over and see you?"

"That would be nice," Elphaba replied, closing her eyes again. "You should go get ready. Maybe by the time you come back, you'll have a new sister or brother."

Graiya smiled a little, even though her mother couldn't see it. She leaned over and kissed her mother on the forehead. "I hope so. Get some sleep, Mama. I love you."

In a very short span of time, Graiya and Stavna were ready to leave their house. Though both girls feared leaving their mother alone, part of them was glad to have their father along for the short walk. All three of them said very little, and nothing of much substance. Once they arrived at Glinda's house, Fiyero did not linger long. He did hug and kiss each of his daughters goodbye, but none of them uttered that word. He promised to come back and get them if the baby arrived. Then he was on his way back home.

Stavna was soon lost in play with Olive, but Graiya took no interest in their make-believe. Instead, she went in search of Glinda, whom she found supervising things in the kitchen. Graiya guessed it had something to do with a change in dinner plans due to their sudden arrival.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Glinda. Mama was sick at home, so she said it would be better if we..."

Glinda turned and looked at her surrogate niece, who appeared smaller than usual standing there in the doorway. She walked over and knelt in front of the child, running a hand gently through her hair. "It's fine, Aya. I understand. It's almost time for the baby to come then."

"I think so. She didn't even look like she could get up. I wouldn't be scared if I hadn't seen something last night."

Glinda understood what Graiya meant, and asked the girl to come upstairs to her suite where they could talk in more privacy. Once there, Graiya explained exactly what her vision had been. That her new sibling would be delivered safe and sound, in perfect health. It was her mother she saw dying during the birth. The haunted look in Graiya's eyes as she explained was enough to make Glinda want to cry. She did not shed tears in front of the child, knowing that would only make matters worse.

"Visions don't always come true. Your mother could be just fine. I know your parents try to be very honest with you, so I won't make you any promises. But you know how strong your mother is, and your father will be there to take care of her, just like he always does. And you're excited about the baby, aren't you?"

"Yeah... I didn't think I would be, but Mama and Papa were so happy about it, right from the beginning. It's a girl... Papa really wanted a boy this time. I hope he won't be sad.."

"You saw that too?" Glinda sounded a bit astonished, not having guessed Graiya's vision was so detailed. The girl nodded, looking worried.

"Is that a bad thing? I mean... I was hoping for another sister, so I am glad to know it's a girl. Mama and Papa were both hoping for a boy this time. I don't think Mama will have anymore babies. She gets so sick, it's really scary. I wanted to stay at home, but she said I shouldn't."

"You didn't see anything that's bad. Another little sister will be great for you to have."

"She won't be green, either... People won't tease her because of how she looks. Sometimes I wish... Well, Papa said never to say that. He says it's the same as saying something mean to Mama..."

"And you love her too much to say it around her," Glinda stated quietly. Graiya nodded. "You can say it here. I won't get angry." Glinda continued. Graiya looked hesitant, but after a moment or two, she decided it couldn't hurt, since they were alone.

"Sometimes I wish I didn't look like this. That I could have normal, pretty skin like you and Olive, and Stavna too. I know I shouldn't feel like that. Papa says Mama is the most beautiful person he's ever seen, and that I look so much like her. But sometimes, I wish I could change myself, so the kids at school wouldn't tease me anymore. Now that Stavna is at school, she tries to protect me. Mama has come there a couple of times, for parents' days. The other mothers just stared at her at first, but soon a few called her names... Words I'm not supposed to say. She didn't leave, she didn't even look sad. She looked angry. That's how I felt too..."

Graiya trailed off, having no more energy for words. Almost without a pause, Glinda told Graiya about the events surrounding her parents' wedding. How deeply Elphaba had come to resent the disguise that made her look normal, and her insistence on having wedding pictures in which she looked like herself. The reason Elphaba's disguise had been necessary in the first place was also explained, though only to the extent that it was clear how much Elphaba had once been hated in the city. At this, Graiya's eyes grew very wide and filled with tears.

"If people hated her that much, why would she want to live here? That doesn't make any sense at all, Aunt Glinda."

"She wanted to live here because she loves this place. She didn't want to live so far from it after the wedding, because the city is where your mother had always wanted to be. I was already living here, and that made a difference too. Once you and your sister came along, your mama would never have thought of leaving."

After this discussion, Graiya seemed much calmer and ready to join her sister downstairs. It wasn't long before she was lost in play, and Glinda turned her attention to city matters, taking care of small details that there never seemed to be time for during the week. Since it was the weekend, she was not required to leave home to go to the place where the more formal city business was handled. Things went along peacefully that entire day, though Graiya and Stavna both turned in immediately following the later than usual evening meal. As she was being tucked into her bed in one of the guest rooms, Graiya confided to Glinda her mother's wish to see Riordan as soon as possible.

"Grandpapa won't be scared to see her, will he? She really wants to talk to him, I could tell."

"Your grandfather will understand. He was planning to get here sometime tomorrow anyway. I'll tell him about your mother as soon as he comes."

Graiya sat up, giving her aunt a sudden hug. "Mama won't die, will she? Grandpapa can help. She's always a little better when he comes."

Glinda burst into tears, unable to help herself. She tried to stop it, reminding herself that Graiya was still only nine. All the tension and upset could quickly overwhelm someone so young. But, as was her way, Graiya met her aunt's eyes and put on her best smile. "It's true, though," she said, as if this were a great and treasured secret. "When both Papa and Grandpapa can be there, Mama feels better. They have their own magic."

"Yes, they do," Glinda whispered, her tears fading as she hugged Graiya once more, then left the room to go say goodnight to Stavna and Olive, who always insisted on sleeping in the same room during visits to each others' houses. She paused at the door and heard the two younger girls singing a children's song together. Though Glinda knew very little about such things, the pair seemed to be in perfect harmony. She felt badly about interrupting them, and so waited a moment until they were quiet.

As Glinda said goodnight to her own daughter, the eight year old expressed her excitement at the idea of having another cousin soon. Though all the children knew they were not related by blood, none of them ever mentioned it. They had always considered each other cousins, and each other's parents as aunt and uncle. Olive was the only person in the world besides Glinda who refered to Elphaba as Elphie.

Stavna was very thoughtful as she said goodnight to her aunt, wondering aloud if her mother was all right at home. Her worry lifted a little when she was told her grandfather would be visiting the next day. "That always makes Mama feel better," Stavna said, as her sister had not moments before. "I hope it helps extra tomorrow. Aya gets scared Mama is going to go away like our Aunt Nessa. We never met her, but Mama told us about her before."

Glinda didn't know what to say in reply, so she kissed both of the girls goodnight and went to prepare for bed. She was resting in bed, half asleep, when Travion returned from a very long day at his tea shop. Since Fiyero was forced to take a leave of absence due to the imminent birth of the baby, Travion was left with much more work to do. He had hired a temporary worker to help carry the load, but Travion's days were still longer than usual.

Travion quickly readied himself for bed, and as he climbed into it, kissed his wife tenderly on the lips. "Are our neices here? I saw toys scattered around downstairs. Only Avna and Olive put together leave things in their wake like that." Travion tried to sound annoyed, but Glinda could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Yes, they're both here," Glinda answered somberly. "From what Aya told me, Elphaba should be delivering the baby soon. Very soon. She said she had a vision that her mother will die during the birth." Glinda had tears in her eyes as she said this, and Travion looked badly shocked. Once he had recovered himself, he asked if Fiyero knew of this.

"Aya told him before she left home. She was terrified to leave, but Elphie told her to, so she obeyed. I can't imagine being so young and carrying that kind of burden."

The conversation halted as the sound of running feet reached the couple from the hallway. A moment later there was a rapid knock at the door. Glinda and Travion glanced at each other, knowing who it must be.

"Aunt Glinda, can I come in please?" Graiya's voice was trembling with the effort of holding in her tears as well as with fright. Glinda immediately told her to enter, and the girl dashed inside, pausing only to ask permission to snuggle into bed with her aunt and uncle.

"Of ciourse you can," Travion answered, alarmed at the terror in Graiya's eyes. Once she was settled between them, the little girl spoke again.

"I want to go home. I need to see Mama. I know Papa said he'd come if the baby got born, but I can't wait that long. I need to see her. Please, will one of you take me home?"

Neither of the adults needed to ask if Graiya had had another vision. Her appearance and demeanor were enough to tell them yes. Rather than calming down now that she wasn't alone, Graiya was growing more agitated with every passing moment. She lost the battle to hold in her tears, even though shedding them brought her pain. Her breath was coming in rapid gasps, not unlike her mother's when she was ill and barely able to draw breath.

"Glinda, I think it would be best to take her back now. One of us has to stay with the other children. Would you rather stay or go?"

"I'll take her," Glinda responded immediately. "If Elphie is awake enough, I think it would do me some good to talk to her, too." Though it was tempting to leave the house still in their nightclothes covered with heavy robes, Travion informed his wife that the night had turned bitter. Graiya went without a word to get herself ready, her breath still hitching with tears. Not ten minutes later, they were ready to go. Graiya clung tightly to her aunt's hand as they walked down the sidewalk.

"Papa might be angry at me for coming home," the child confided. "It's the middle of the night, isn't it?"

"Not yet. It's only about ten o'clock. And with the way your mama doesn't sleep these days..."

"I know, she'll be up." Graiya said quietly. "But it's happening soon. Tomorrow." The faraway look in Graiya's eyes badly frightened Glinda, and they rushed along even more quickly. Glinda had long had a key to her friends' house and used it now, not wanting to delay any longer by knocking and waiting to be allowed in. Graiya went immediately to her mother's side, with Glinda following behind. Fiyero looked up from tending to his wife, obviously surprised to see them. To his credit, he managed to contain his anger at his daughter for disobeying. Instead, he asked Glinda to step outside the room and explain to him what had happened, since it was abundantly clear Graiya needed to be alone with her mother.

"Mama... Mama, are you awake?"

Elphaba opened her eyes and did the last thing Graiya expected. She smiled. "You managed to stay there longer than I thought you would." She reached out and took one of her daughter's hands. "It's all right if you want to stay here. Come on, get in beside me. Maybe then you can sleep."

"Mama, I have my own bed. You seem fine, I just needed to be sure." Graiya squeezed her mother's hand, but gave no other outward sign of her desperate fear of what may happen to her. Elphaba could see in her child's eyes all of her terror and reluctance to admit how she felt.

"Aya, there isn't anything wrong with admitting when you're scared. I get frightened sometimes too. I think if you stayed here we would both feel better. Why don't we try?"

"Are you sure it won't hurt you? Do you want Papa to help you sit up first?"

"I'm fine the way I am," Elphaba said gently. After another moment, Graiya climbed into the bed beside her mother. She soon cuddled close, but didn't seem comfortable.

"Mama, were you this sick when you were ready to have me?"

"No. I was younger then, things weren't as difficult for me. But your sister will be coming soon. By this time tomorrow I think."

"You already know it's a girl too," Graiya whispered, sounding comforted. "Did you tell Papa and spoil the surprise?"

"No, he doesn't like to know ahead of time. I didn't try to find out, I just know."

Graiya turned toward her mother, her eyes looking more serious than they had all day. "Mama, how did we get so much magic? I know you said you could always do the same things I can do. But where did it come from?"

"I don't know. I spent all of my growing up feeling ashamed of it. I thought there was something wrong with me. Papa and I have tried very hard to be sure you don't feel that way. You don't, do you, Aya?"

"No, Mama. I just wish I knew what magic I need to make you better. It's really scary when you are sick like this. Stavna cries a lot... Enough for both of us. Can someone cure you, Mama?"

Elphaba sighed. "No one I know of," she admitted. "Maybe someday. I'm not afraid of this... This pain anymore. I've lived with it so long it's... It's part of who I am."

Graiya looked into her mother's eyes and saw all of her torment. She felt angry as she saw this, her small hands curling into fists. "But it hurts you, Mama. Why should you have to feel like this every day? Someday I will make you better. There has to be a way!"

Though it was a struggle for her to move at all, Elphaba slowly sat up in the bed. It was several minutes until she was in a comfortable position again. Graiya turned to face her mother. Both of their faces were so intense, there was nearly a crackle of energy in the air.

"Graiya, I want you to... To listen very closely to me. I know you love me, I know you hate watching me suffer. But... taking care of me is not your job. You're still a little girl... Don't be in such a hurry to grow up, darling heart. I grew up very quickly... I had a sister to help raise, and no mother at home. You have me, and Papa. I know you're very... very protective of your sister, just like I was of mine. You are a good girl, very kind and gentle. Just don't... Don't forget how to enjoy life sometimes."

"Mama," Graiya whispered, tears coming to her eyes. "Are you telling me goodbye?"

"No. No, Aya," Elphaba whispered, carefully leaning forward to kiss her daughter's overly warm forehead. "I'm saying these things so maybe you will try to be a little girl once in a while... Before it's too late. Aya, please... Please go ask Papa to come. And don't come back in here... Please don't. Not until Papa comes for you. Promise me."

"I do," Graiya replied even as she jumped up from the bed to beckon to her father. Glinda and Aya remained in the house not five minutes more. As they left, Elphaba's struggle to breathe was painful to hear and impossible not to think about. As they walked the half block, Graiya burst into tears. Glinda stopped short, knowing how much pain this would cause the little girl. But at Glinda's cautioning not to cry, Graiya grew angry and began to yell. "Mama is DYING! Why shouldn't I cry, even if it hurts? It can't be worse than her pain!"

"I'm sure you're right," Glinda whispered, stopping and kneeling in front of Graiya once she halted as well. "I know you're scared... So am I. But Aya, we have to try to keep hoping your mama will get better. She's very strong, you know that."

"I do, Papa always says that. But..."

"No, Graiya. There are no buts about it. A lesser person than your mother would be dead already. She is determined. She wants to live to see you all grown up."

"You sound like her when you say that," Graiya whispered, too sad to meet her aunt's gaze. "That's one of the things she says to Papa when she's really sick. That she has to make it through, so she can see us off to university and everything. But now it will be so many years until our little sister is ready for that. I don't know if Mama can last that long. Or... if she will live through tomorrow. I can't tell, the things I see keep changing!"

Graiya's eyes filled with tears again, this time out of anger. Glinda wrapped one arm protectively around her shoulders and led her down the sidewalk. "It's very late, Aya. We need to go to my house and rest now. Would you like to stay in my room tonight? I'm sure Uncle Travion wouldn't mind."

"I could do that?" Graiya asked with surprise. "I'm nine Aunt Glinda, not two. I don't do baby things anymore."

"You never did," Glinda whispered, so softly Graiya did not hear. To the child she said, "Of course you can do that. It doesn't make you a baby. Come on now, let's get inside."

They were soon upstairs in the master suite and settled into bed. Travion had remained awake, and told Glinda that the other girls were already sleeping peacefully. Even as Graiya lay snuggled between her aunt and uncle, overstressed and exhausted, her mind was definitely elsewhere. Her eyes were almost glazed with weariness, but the child fought sleep even as the adult on either side of her was drifting off.

"Mama needs you, Aunt Glinda. She needs to have you there to hold her hand. She didn't ask you before because she thought you'd be too scared to say yes. But it's like she's shouting your name in my head. Will you go, please?"

Glinda did not insult the child by asking her if she was sure of the things she had said. Instead, the pair sat up, and Glinda kissed Graiya softly on the forehead then pulled her close. "I will go, Aya," she promised. "You stay here. Please try to rest." She kissed Graiya once more, then turned to her husband, who had sat up as well.

"Travion, if the other children want to come in here, please let them stay. Please."

Glinda's voice shook badly as she said this, and she turned away in shame. Travion promised he would do as she asked, then Glinda once more got out of bed. She dressed hurriedly and left the house. Once they were alone, Travion tried to soothe his eldest niece, who was trembling badly and unable to think of sleep. Travion could think of nothing to say that could comfort the child, so he did what his mother had done when he had awakened from nightmares as a little boy. He held one of Graiya's hands gently and began to sing to her. He wasn't blessed with a very musical voice, but Travion knew this had never mattered to the children. Even after just a few notes had drifted on the air, he could feel Graiya's body beginning to relax, finally letting go of the day's tension. She sighed and turned toward him, her eyes barely open.

"Sleep now, darling heart. It's late, you're very tired."

Graiya yawned, then smiled. "You've never called me that before. Sometimes Mama calls me that. How did you know? It's her special nickname."

The reason Travion had used the name was because his own mother had occasionally called him that, right up to the time he left for university. But he also knew the reason didn't matter. He had brought greater comfort to his young niece than he could have hoped for. That was enough.

"I must be a good guesser," he whispered, then leaned over and kissed each of her cheeks lightly. She sighed, and was soon asleep. Travion was now the one who was wide awake, worrying about whether his dear little family may be about to lose one of its members. He was just about overcome with tears when he heard a small voice coming from the doorway.

"Papa, can we stay here too?" Olive stepped into the room, closely followed by Stavna, who was crying softly. "Avna had a bad dream... We were scared to stay in there."

"Come," Travion said simply, and in a moment the two younger girls were settled under the covers. Olive frowned and looked over at her father.

"Where did Mama go? There isn't any work for her to do this late."

Travion shook his head sadly. "She had to go stay with your aunt. Now, let's all go to sleep. Otherwise I'll have some very grouchy girls on my hands in the morning."

* * *

Morning dawned grey and rainy, which suited the oppressive mood of the day. Glinda had stayed at Elphaba's bedside all night, tense and frightened. Elphaba slept only in snatches, and had little strength to speak. She communicated mostly with her eyes, and when Fiyero saw her terrified expression just before dawn, he knew it was time to summon the midwife.

"Glinda, would you mind going to fetch the midwife? It's not far, if you need it I can write down the address for you."

Glinda was about to consent when Elphaba shook her head vigorously. Though it was extremely difficult for her even to breathe by this time, Elphaba managed to speak. "I need to talk to her. You can go. Please."

The last thing Fiyero wanted was to leave his wife's side. But at the desperate look in her eyes, he didn't have the heart to refuse what she had requested of him. He leaned over and gently kissed Elphaba once on the forehead, then once on the lips. As he left the room, Fiyero cautioned her. "Don't talk too much. You're already so tired... and you have a fever again."

Glinda frowned at this bit of news, and watched sadly as Fiyero left the house. Then, she turned all of her attention to Elphaba, knowing whatever she had to say must be important. Still, she resolved to try her best to keep the conversation brief. She took one of Elphaba's hands and squeezed it lightly.

"What is it you need to tell me, Elphie? You need your rest."

Elphaba locked her gaze on her best friend and began to speak. Though her voice grew weaker as she went on, she was determined to say all she wanted to say.

"The new baby will be here soon... Very soon. If anything... If it happens, I want you to... To promise me you'll help Fiyero raise the children. I know you love them already... They love you too. If I'm not here, I want to know that they... They have someone who can be like a mother to them."

Glinda wanted to argue, to tell her friend she was worrying about nothing. But they both knew what the reality was, and she could not make light of Elphaba's request, both because of her family history and the level of respect and love it showed toward Glinda herself.

"Of course I promise, Elphaba. I hope I don't have to do that, but I would. Your children love you very much, and they want you to come through this. That means that now It's time for you to rest. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Elphaba closed her eyes, more because she had no strength to keep them open than because Glinda had told her to. She rested relatively peacefully until Fiyero returned a short time later with the midwife. Glinda was relieved to see them both, but quietly kept out of the way until the midwife got settled in and Fiyero had been able to spend a few moments at Elphaba's bedside. Then, Fiyero asked Glinda to step outside with him so they could talk.

Fiyero's face was so grim Glinda was sure she knew what he was about to ask. Sadly, she was not disappointed. "What did Elphaba want so badly to talk to you about?"

"She asked... She said that if anything happens, she wants me to help you care for the children." Glinda tried earnestly not to cry, but could not help herself. It was hard for her to continue speaking around the huge lump in her throat. "Of course I couldn't refuse... It is a comfort to me to know she trusts me so much. But I want HER to raise her OWN children!"

Glinda began to sob loudly, and as soon as she could speak again she offered an apology. "I'm sorry, I know she's able to hear me in there. I can't help it. The children... Aya especially is absolutely terrified. If I have to go home and tell her her mother is dead..."

"You won't." Fiyero sounded so certain that Glinda looked up in surprise. "I won't say I'm not worried and frightened. But I have to hope things will turn out all right. Elphaba has been through so much already... I know what a threat to her life the curse is. But she deserves to have things go her way for once. She deserves it." He repeated this almost fiercely, and Glinda could not help but nod in agreement. Then, they returned to the bedroom to care for Elphaba.

The midwife assisted where she could, but otherwise made no comment and tried not to get in the family's way. The woman had delivered Elphaba's other babies, and was well aware of her unique physical needs. To a point, she had also been told about the curse Elphaba was under. Therefore, she was aware of the risk involved every time Elphaba was ready to give birth. She could tell how much more difficult this time would be, but said nothing of her apprehensions. Though Glinda helped when she could and was not openly upset, she had to take her leave of the house.

"I'm sorry, Fiyero," Glinda said earnestly. "I want to help, but once the labor starts the midwife will probably order me out of here anyway. I don't feel like I'm doing any good here. And the other children..."

"You're right, they need you. I don't blame you for needing to go. This isn't easy for me either, even if it seems like it."

"I know," Glinda whispered, before hugging Fiyero and leaving quietly. True to his word, Fiyero bore Glinda no grudge. But a small part of him was nervous. He felt completely alone, and now he had no one to talk to. Elphaba could not find the strength to speak, and the midwife was definitely not one for chit-chat. Fiyero tried to engage her in conversation several times, failing dismally.

The labor began in earnest not long after dawn and was very brief. However, it soon became clear that even the rapid delivery was nearly too much for Elphaba. Her breaths were ragged and shallow, and Fiyero could see the sweat standing out on his wife's forehead. He heard the baby cry and looked over to see that his third child was being tended to, but he focused his attention on Elphaba. Once he carefully oiled her skin, she seemed slightly more at ease. She opened her eyes only for a moment and asked to hold the baby.

"Later," Fiyero whispered. "You need to rest and let the fever pass first, Ivy."

"I'll be fine for a minute or two. I need to hold her."

The next several minutes passed slowly as Fiyero tried to help his wife into a sitting position without causing her excessive pain. When she cried out for the second time, he stopped and looked into Elphaba's eyes. "Ivy, I really think you should wait until later. The baby will be sleeping soon anyway. We can try again when it's time for her to nurse."

"No," Elphaba said as firmly as she could. "I held Graiya and Stavna as soon as they were born. Talissana deserves the same."

"Okay," Fiyero agreed quickly, knowing that arguing the point would get him nowhere. It took several minutes more for Elphaba to be ready to take her newborn into her arms. The midwife placed Talissana in her mother's arms very carefully, alarmed at the sound of Elphaba's labored breathing. Briefly, Elphaba was able to cuddle the baby and tell her she loved her. It wasn't long until her strength ran out.

"Fiyero, you... You have to take her. I can't..."

After taking Talissana into his arms and holding her long enough to kiss her forehead, Fiyero gave the baby back to the midwife, who took the child swiftly to the nursery. Only then could Fiyero turn his attention back to Elphaba. She was now slumped awkwardly against the pillows, and Fiyero was suddenly very afraid. He could still hear her strained breathing, but she showed no other signs of life. Her eyes were closed, and she did not move or speak.

"Elphaba?" Fiyero repeated her name twice, though he knew there would be no reply. With tears in his eyes, he got Elphaba back into a more comfortable position and tried not to think that his wife may never regain consciousness. Just as he sank into the chair at the bedside, the door to the bedroom opened. Fiyero looked up, annoyed at the interruption. His guest took in the gravity of the situation without a word of explanation. He walked to Fiyero's side and spoke quietly, without hesitation.

"What can I do to help?" Riordan asked. Fiyero sighed and did not answer for a moment.

"I don't know. I told the girls I'd come get them when the baby arrived. But I don't want them to see their mother like this." He gestured toward the bed as tears slid down his cheeks. Riordan shook his head, frowning.

"No, they shouldn't. They're fine with Glinda and Travion. I was over there before I came here, just for a minute. The girls are still sleeping. Glinda was working on something, some kind of remedy for Elphaba I think. She was too involved with it to take time to talk." Riordan walked closer to the bed and rested one hand on Elphaba's forehead, then drew it back in alarm.

"Her fever is extremely high. That must be what made her lose consciousness. It's still very cool outside. Do you think opening the window might help?"

"It can't hurt. The light won't bother her eyes now, at least. I'll take care of Elphaba. You should go say hello to your new granddaughter. Don't let the midwife scare you off."

"Never. A girl," Riordan said with a smile. "The perfect little trio."

* * *

By late morning, Glinda had been hard at work on her remedy for several hours. She had closed herself up in the master suite and studied the Grimmerie intently, until at last she had found a potion that satisfied her. She had to go out and fetch a couple of things to make it with, but they were common enough not to arouse suspicions in the shopkeepers of the city. Once the potion was ready and in a small bottle, Glinda emerged from her room. She was immediately met by Avna, who looked bored and was nearly pouting.

"Aya still isn't up!" she cried. "I know she likes to sleep, but it's almost eleven. It's more fun to play when she shows us the game. Please can I go wake her up??"

Glinda tried to temper Avna's impatience, reminding her that everyone had been up very late, and that Aya was very tired from worrying so much, too. At this, Stavna grew very cross and raised her voice.

"Graiya isn't the only one that worries about Mama. I had a nightmare last night, and nobody cared about that, because Aya was so sad... I get even more scared when she's sad." For the first time, Stavna took notice of the small bottle in her aunt's hand. "Is that going to make Mama feel better? You took a long time to come out. I knew you were doing something in there."

Glinda knelt in front of her niece and carefully set the small bottle on the carpet, then rested a hand on each of the girl's shoulders. "Avna... How long have you been waiting out here?"

Stavna was quiet as she thought, frowning in concentration. "Since I finished the breakfast Uncle Travion made me. Hours maybe... I don't know. But you always let Aya come in when she needs to talk to you. I tried, but the door was locked. So I waited."

"Stavna, I'm sorry," Glinda whispered, drawing her into a hug. "I need to take this medicine to your mama and see if I can help her. I want you to stay here with your uncle. When your mama is feeling better, your papa will come get you."

"I know, he promised." Stavna pulled away and put on her best pleading face. "Can't I go wake Aya up now? It gets so lonely without her."

Glinda smiled, but only reluctantly agreed. Stavna immediately took off in the direction of the guest room Aya had been moved too once everyone else was awake, so she wouldn't be disturbed. When Stavna saw her big sister was still soundly asleep, she scrambled up onto the large bed and shook her sister roughly by one shoulder.

"Come on, Aya. Please get up. Please?" Stavna shook her sister once more, then waited. After a moment, Graiya opened her eyes, and Stavna smiled. "Finally! You already missed breakfast. If you sleep anymore you'll..."

Stavna paused as she realized her sister was making no move to actually get out of bed, and that her eyes looked very strange. They looked just the way their mama's eyes looked when she was sick. Avna was suddenly very frightened, her voice dropping to a timid whisper. "Aya... Aya, wake up. Wake up... What's wrong with you??"

After calling her sister's name once or twice more to no avail, Stavna burst into tears. When she heard her sister's breathing grow ragged and shallow in just the way their mother's did, she screamed Graiya's name at the top of her voice, then jumped down from the bed to go find Travion. She found him in the downstairs study, trying to do some work from home. Seeing Stavna's tear-streaked face, all of his paperwork was forgotten, and he leapt up from his chair. He hurried to the doorway, where he picked the little girl up. She laid her head on his shoulder and began to sob.

"Aya won't wake up!" she wailed. "Please go wake her up, Uncle Travion! She looks sick, just like Mama!"


	9. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I am reposting this chapter because I corrected an error I should have caught earlier & didn't. Also, this will be the last chapter of this story I will post on this site. Anyone who would like to continue receiving the chapters by email, please send me either a private message, or an email to the address connected to my account. Thank you, and I hope some of you will look forward to the rest of this story.

Chapter 7

Travion carried Stavna back upstairs with him, where they found Graiya gasping for breath.

"That's how she was when I left," Stavna whispered. "Just like Mama."

Travion tried for several minutes to rouse his neice. Though her eyes eventually focused on his face, there was no further improvement. Stavna's tears eased, and she stood beside the bed, holding her sister's hand. Olive came in to see what was going on, and though she was frightened, she kept her emotions to herself.

"Aya needs Papa's help," Stavna spoke suddenly. "He can fix it. I can run home and get him. Please, can't I at least do that? Aya would do it for me."

Travion did not hesitate, telling Stavna and Olive to go there and back as quickly as they could. The two girls joined hands and made their way downstairs, beginning to run even before they were out the front door. They hesitated to enter the other house, afraid of what condition Elphaba may be in, but they knew there was no time to waste.

"Papa!" Stavna called loudly from the front door. "You need to come, Papa! Something is wrong with Aya!"

The midwife emerged from the nursery, grumbling about the noise disturbing the newborn. Stavna and Olive both ignored her, and were relieved when Fiyero emerged from the master bedroom, looking tired and worried. He quickly walked over and knelt in front of his niece and middle child.

"What's wrong with her, girls?"

Stavna began to cry again, so Olive volunteered the answer. "She looks just like Aunt Elphie looks when she's sick. Her breathing was all funny. Papa sent us to get you. Please come!"

"Of coiurse I'll come." Fiyero picked up both of the little girls, then kissed each of their foreheads in turn before standing up and calling out to Riordan and Glinda that they needed to stay with Elphaba for a while. Then, the three of them hurried back to Glinda's house and straight up to the bedroom where Travion and Graiya waited. Fiyero was alarmed to see the state his eldest daughter was in. Even Travion looked relieved to see his friend.

"Has this ever happened to her before?" he asked nervously.

"No," he replied shortly, before turning all of his attention to his daughter. "Graiya... Graiya, it's Papa. Can you hear me?"

Graiya moaned, and her eyes slowly focused on her father's face. She could not manage to speak, even after Fiyero helped her into a sitting position that made her breathing easier. Fiyero then told everyone that the newest child was a girl, which made Graiya smile. Stavna actually cheered.

"That means no icky boys! The boys at school are the ones that are mean to Aya. I don't want one at home, too." Stavna paused and looked guiltily at her sister. "Sorry, Graiya... I know you asked me not to tell."

Graiya reached out and took her sister's hand to tell her it was all right. Fiyero knew Stavna's words were not empty, but under the circumstances, whatever was going on would have to wait.

"Girls, I think you should all stay here a little longer. The baby is fine, you can all meet her soon. But..."

"Mama is sick," Stavna finished. "We already know. She's not worse, is she?"

Before Fiyero could answer, Graiya nodded her head and suddenly spoke, her voice perfectly clear and strong. "If she was all right, Papa would let us come home. I think Mama is dead now, and we didn't even get to say goodbye."

* * *

After Fiyero left, Glinda forced herself to focus on the task at hand. She carefully took the small bottle from the pocket of her dress and looked at it, wondering if she had done the right thing by making the potion. Riordan saw her pensive expression, and was able to understand well enough what was going on not to have to ask any questions. 

"Glinda, there is no other time but now to use that. It will probably be a feat in itself to bring Elphaba around enough so that she can take it. But we have to try. We can't afford to wait."

Glinda's eyes filled with tears, but she forced herself to hold them back. "I know. Why don't you try first? She'll be so comforted to see you here, Papa."

Riordan nodded grimly and began trying to rouse Elphaba. He touched her forehead and felt the fever still raging. He cursed quietly, and though he kept up his efforts, his words to Glinda were pessimistic. "I don't think we should get our hopes up. She's unconscious, not sleeping. That fever won't break." Riordan looked up, glancing out the window. He felt the cool breeze that had risen since the rain earlier in the day. Elphaba suddenly shivered, then was perfectly still.

"Elphaba," Riordan began softly. "Please open your eyes. Glinda is here to help you, and we all want to see you well again. Please open your eyes."

Elphaba did as Riordan requested, but his happy reaction was quickly quelled as he realized she was not looking at him. She was definitely looking at something... But it was something no one else in the room could see. "Nessa..." Elphaba said this so sadly that even though Glinda and Riordan didn't realize what was actually happening, they sensed all of her heartbreak. Elphaba wanted to say more, but her sister shushed her like a mother comforting a child who has awakened from a nightmare. Nessa moved close to the bed. She looked so real Elphaba wanted to reach out and touch her. Therefore, she was shocked when Nessa was able to take her hand.

"I can do that, when it really matters," Nessa whispered. "I'm here to tell you that you have to find the strength to come through this. I know you're exhausted, and you're tired of trying to overcome the curse anymore. But you have to, Elphaba. Your husband and children need you. Especially the new baby, for more reasons than you know. She will need you to help stop her from going too far down the wrong path. She will have power, but she won't know how to use it for good unless you're here to show her. I don't want to see her have the life I had, full of bitterness and anger. She's meant for better things than that. For Talissana's sake, you have to stay here. Graiya and Stavna need you too. Your family loves you, they aren't ready to let you go."

With that, Nessa turned and walked out of the room just like any person would. Elphaba watched her until she could see her no longer. Only then did she turn her eyes away from the doorway and see Riordan and Glinda there beside the bed. "Papa..." was all she managed to say, her voice hoarse and low from disuse.

Riordan smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Yes, it's me. What just happened? You were acting so strange." Elphaba shrugged, but shared a glance with Glinda that made her sure her best friend understood what had gone on. "I'm fine, Papa. I feel better." Elphaba took notice of the bottle Glinda still held, and asked her what it was for.

"You. I thought it might help. If you're willing to try it." Glinda said this last without much hope, but Elphaba nodded.

"I have to. The children want to come home... I know how they are. Where is Fiyero?" Elphaba asked this with only a touch of worry in her voice, but the feeling grew as Riordan hesitated to answer.

"He's at Glinda's, with the children. He should be back soon. Let me help you sit up so you can try the remedy."

Elphaba shot Riordan an annoyed look. "Papa, don't change the subject. What's wrong? He wouldn't leave me at a time like this unless it was important." Riordan couldn't bring himself to answer, so Glinda volunteered the information instead.

"Stavna and Olive came here a while ago, saying something was wrong with Aya. Fiyero went to help her. I know you'll want to take care of her too, but you have to put yourself first. Will you really try this, or not?"

After several minutes of considerable effort, Elphaba got herself into an upright position, then took the bottle from her friend. Elphaba studied it for a moment, as if trying to push away the last of her doubts. She wondered what other effects it might have on her... or the child she had yet to nurse for the first time. Elphaba glanced uncertainly at Glinda, who nodded.

"I know what you're thinking. Of course, there might be unexpected after-effects. There is always that chance. But I read everything over so many times it made my head spin. I'm as sure as I can be that it's safe.So you'll just have yo trust me... Even if I'm not the witch you are. "

Glinda said this with such a twinkle in her eye that Elphaba actually laughed just a little. She then heard Talissana crying in the nursery, and hesitated a few seconds more. Glinda did not lose patience, only quietly encouraged her friend. "Go on. Please, Elphie."

"Okay," Elphaba said decisively, opening the bottle and drinking only some of the clear liquid. There were no immediate results, but none were expected. Elphaba drank the rest before she lost her nerve. Though she was still exhausted and in a significant amount of pain, she felt ready to nurse Talissana when the baby began to cry from hunger a short time later. Elphaba asked Riordan to bring the baby to her. The midwife followed on his heels, and was more than a little surprised to see Elphaba was conscious. Riordan and Glinda then took their leave, wanting to give Elphaba some quiet time with her newborn. Within moments, the baby was nursing contentedly.

Knowing the other girls were bound to be noisy when they returned, both Elphaba and the midwife were glad Talissana was soon ready to return to the nursery, to be away from the uproar. The midwife took the baby tenderly from her mother's arms, whispering sweetly to her as they disappeared down the hall toward the nursery. Elphaba sagged against her pillows, feeling exhausted and ready for a nap of her own. But she was determined to stay awake at least a few minutes so she could reassure Stavna and Graiya. Not a moment later, they burst into the house, calling to their mother from the doorway. Stavna ran to the bedside, but Graiya and Olive hung back in the doorway.

"Oh, Mama!" Stavna cried. "I was so glad when Aunt Glinda came back home... I knew you must be all right. I knew it."

Stavna climbed into the bed beside her mother and began to cry with relief. While Elphaba soothed her with hugs and kisses, Graiya and Olive remained in the doorway, watching. After a moment, Fiyero walked up behind them, resting a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Go on, girls. It's all right to say hello. Everyone is very tired, even Talissana is napping already." Fiyero looked questioningly at Graiya. "Don't you want to talk to Mama for a minute?"

"Mama is tired, and Stavna needs her attention more. I can wait until Mama is feeling better." Graiya's voice was faint with exhaustion. She turned toward the hall and walked out, Olive fiollowing silently behind her. "I'm going to bed, Papa," she muttered as she walked away. Fiyero looked after her in wonder. He knew something must have happened to cause her not even to want to say hello to her mother, whom she had not wanted to leave in the first place.

"Aya," Olive whispered tensely as they walked away. "Your Papa will be mad at you if you don't tell him what you did! And if Aunt Elphie finds out... I get scared of her when she's angry. They'll only be mad if you don't tell the truth. Why can't you tell them??"

Graiya turned to her little cousin, who was the image of her mother except for her brown eyes. Graiya's voice was touched with impatience. "I told you, they won't understand why I did what I did when I wasn't sure how it would turn out. But I had to do something to save Mama. I HAD to. I only told you because you were figuring it out anyway, and Stavna would worry too much if she knew. If I can do this much, I can take that curse away from Mama. I will, too, as soon as I'm feeling better. I have to go to sleep. You should be able to stay a little while. You'll know what to do, right?"

Olive nodded slightly as they went into the bedroom and closed the door. "Graiya, I'm scared. What if you took too much of the pain away into yourself and you..." Olive could not bring herself to say the word 'die,' so she was quiet for a moment, then began again. "You're littler than Aunt Elphie. How do you know you didn't take away too much?""

"I don't," Graiya admitted, which caused Olive's eyes to widen with fear. Graiya took her hand and squeezed it. "I was able to give Mama some of my magic when I touched her... I think it helped her get better faster, too. Aunt Glinda helped her too... If I get really sick, I want you to tell your mama what I did. Maybe she can make some of that potion for me."

Graiya suddenly sat down on the bed, looking very weak as she put one hand on her forehead. "Fever already?" Olive whispered as Graiya laid down on the bed. Graiya nodded, then looked intently at her cousin. "Remember your promise. Not a word to my mama. She's still getting better, and she has Avna and Talissana to look after. They need her more."

Olive began to shake her head vigorously, bursting into tears. "No they don't! If something happens to you because I didn't tell, what will Aunt Elphie and Uncle Fiyero say?? They'll hate me!"

"No they won't," Graiya said gently. "They won't know why I got sick, unless you tell them. They'll think it's just a regular fever. Every kid gets a fever sometimes. I helped Mama... That's all that matters."

Olive paused, and the look on her face made it clear she was thinking very hard. "Aya, how did you know what to do with the magic? Mama has that huge book to help her, and she's really good at it now... But she can't do things right without that book. You didn't even need it, and what you wanted really happened. How?"

"I'm not sure." Graiya admitted. "I knew what I wanted to happen, and I concentrated very hard on it. Then I came back here last night, and when I held Mama's hand, I felt her pain come into me. I didn't know what would happen next." Graiya looked away, ashamed. "I'm sorry I scared you and Avna today. I don't know why Papa was able to help me so fast. Maybe it's like when Mama gets angry. He can always make her push away the worst of it, and she feels better. Maybe that's it."

Olive nodded decisively, as if she was sure this was the answer. Then she looked wistful. "I sure wish I had a little magic right now. I could use it to help you. Why can't you make yourself better, Aya?"

"I don't know that, either," Graiya whispered, her breathing suddenly strained. "You should go say hi to Mama. She'll be happy to see you."

"She'd be happier to see you," Olive whispered, clearly terrified that very soon, Graiya might not be alive, and would never even get to see her mama again. Olive walked out of the room, a sudden thought occuring to her. She had promised not to say anything to her aunt and uncle, but Aya had even said it would be all right to tell her mama. She had meant later, but Olive didn't care. Without a word to anyone, Olive dashed outside and began to run toward home. When she got there and hurried inside, everything was so quiet Olive feared everyone was either asleep or had left the house again.

"Mama!" Olive called as loud as she dared. "Mama, where are you? Graiya needs your help!"


	10. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I've decided to continue posting this story on the site. I'm having difficulty with the current chapter of this story and I'm hoping that some feedback/encouragement will help shake off my case of writer's block. So, please leave me a comment, they'll be very helpful. Thanks.

Maureen

Chapter 8

At the sound of her daughter's voice calling from the entryway, Glinda rushed out of the sitting room, where she and her father had been talking. By the time Glinda knelt in front of Olive, the little girl was crying, her shoulders shaking with sobs. Glinda pulled her close, and hugged her tightly. Once Olive's tears had ebbed, Glinda asked what had happened. Riordan watched the exchange quietly.

"Last night when Aya went back home, she used some magic to help Aunt Elphie. She took some of the pain away, inside herself. At first I didn't know... Then today Aya got sick, just like her mama. I could tell she had done something, so I asked her... and she told me about the magic. Do you think Graiya will die, Mama?"

"No," Glinda answered immediately. "I still have enough things upstairs to make that potion one more time. I can go get it ready. You can help me, if you want to."

Olive stepped back in surprise. "Me? I've never helped you with any magic before. Am I supposed to touch that book?"

Glinda paused as memories washed over her, bringing tears to her eyes. "Yes, you can," she whispered, taking Olive's hand. "Come on, we can probably be finished before your papa gets back from his errands." Here Glinda turned to her father. "Papa, would you go back to Elphaba's house? They might need help..."

Riordan frowned, but agreed without hesitation. He then left and walked swiftly down the block. His mind was very focused on something, and he wanted to ask Elphaba about it at his first opportunity. He got sidetracked as he ran into the midwife just as she was leaving, looking tired but content.

After Olive fled their house, Fiyero knew something was very wrong. He had heard his niece run out the door, not walk. After a moment, Fiyero suggested that Stavna go outside to play. The child balked at this, but as her mother kissed her forehead once more, asking her to give them some quiet time alone, Stavna agreed without complaint. After she had gone, Elphaba got out of bed as quickly as her pain and exhaustion would allow. Fiyero stared at her, amazed she even had the strength for it.

"Graiya needs our help," she stated simply, startling him. "I can't believe I didn't know... She's so small, so small..."

Fiyero was afraid to ask his next question, but did so anyway. "What's happened, Elphaba? I could tell something was wrong when the girls came back, but Graiya wouldn't say much. All she did was tell me she was going to bed."

"She... She helped save me. She used a spell... now she's taken on some of my pain... How did I not KNOW that's why she came back here last night? I should have known!"

"Don't say that, Ivy." Normally, words like this would sound like chastisement. But Fiyero's tone was gentle. He knew Elphaba needed no assistance in making herself feel guilty. "You were so sick yesterday," he went on. "I don't blame you for not realizing what Graiya did."

Elphaba set her jaw with determination, but her eyes were filled with sorrow for what her daughter had put herself through. "If Aya could figure out how to take that pain away from me, I can figure out how to take it back. And I will."

Fiyero wanted to protest, but Elphaba's words were exactly what he expected to hear. He decided it was not worth drawing his wife's wrath by speaking up. Not to mention that they had yet to go see what kind of condition Graiya was in. They both rushed down the hall to the bedroom, throwing the door wide. To their surprise, they found not only Graiya, but Stavna as well. The younger girl stood beside the bed, holding Graiya's hand. There were no tears on Stavna's face, only fear and a touch of wonder. As Elphaba knelt beside the bed, Stavna met her eyes.

"Can you make Aya better now?" Stavna tried not to sound hopeful and failed. "She won't tell me what made her so sick. But she's scared, I can tell."

"I know," Fiyero spoke as he dropped to his knees beside Stavna as well. When he looked her in the eye, her chin quivered. "I think we should let Mama take care of your sister for a few minutes. We can come back later. You haven't even met your little sister yet. Why don't we go to the nursery?"

Stavna looked uncertainly from her mother to her father and back again. Elphaba saw Stavna's fear, and immediately pulled her close. "Go ahead," she encouraged. "You need to tell Talissana what a great big sister you're going to be to her."

Stavna laid her head on her mother's shoulder and tried very hard not to cry. "Aya taught me how to do that," she whispered, then turned and walked out of the room with Fiyero. Alone now with her eldest child, Elphaba placed her hands, one on top of the other, palms down, in the center of Graiya's chest. She had no idea at first if this would do any good, but after a moment or two of concentrating very hard on what she wanted to happen, she had the physical sensation of pain flowing into her body. It startled her, but she did not gasp. In that moment, Graiya opened her eyes. For the first time in her life, she looked sad to see her mother.

"No, Mama..." she whispered weakly. "I made Olive promise... Promise not to tell! I knew you'd do this if she did! Please go away, Mama. Please!"

Elphaba was about to speak and try to soothe Graiya, when another voice coming from the doorway seemed to make the temperature in the room drop twenty degrees. "What do you think you're doing, Elphaba? After all this time, I find out you're THIS selfish? She's a little girl... YOUR little girl. How dare you use her to help yourself this way!"

Elphaba had turned slightly as her father spoke, but kept her hands where they were. Graiya was aware of what was happening, but seemed unable to speak anymore. Elphaba was so shocked at Riordan's words, it took her a moment to find her own voice.

"Papa, you don't understand. I didn't do..."

"Shut up," he growled as he stalked toward the bed. "Get away from her!"

Riordan grasped Elphaba roughly by one arm, attempting to tear her away from her daughter. Elphaba fought him the best she could, telling him angrily to let her go. She refused to cry out even though Riordan's grip was so tight it hurt. Before Riordan could speak again, Fiyero's icy voice filled the room.

"Take your hands off my wife," he said, his voice low and threatening. "Let her go, and get out of here!" Fiyero rushed forward, pushing Riordan out of his way without a second thought. "Ivy, are you all right?" He cupped her face in his hands as he spoke, and Elphaba looked suddenly ashamed of her weakness.

"Fine," she said, sending daggers in Riordan's direction. "I'm not important right now." Elphaba dropped her voice to a whisper as she went on. "Aya... Aya, can you hear me?"

For a long moment, Graiya stared blankly, making no reply. Suddenly, her eyes focused, and she reached for her mother's hand. "I only wanted to help you," she said sadly, as if she had heard the adults' entire conversation. "I didn't do anything wrong... Did I?"

"No," Elphaba replied quickly. "What you did for me was very special. I didn't want you to suffer like I have... That's why I took back what's mine. How do you feel? Has the pain left you now?"

Graiya nodded, watching Riordan uncertainly. "Why is Grandpapa so angry? Is it because of me?"

Fiyero and Elphaba both looked at Riordan, silently telling him this was his question to answer. As he slowly approached the bed again, Graiya clung more tightly to her mother, as if she were afraid of what Riordan might do to her.

"Of course it's not because of you, Graiya," Riordan said as firmly as he could. His voice quivered with tears, and he said no more for the moment.

"Grandpapa and I just need to have a talk, so I can make him understand what happened, Aya. I want you to stay here with Papa. Go say hello to your new little sister. Everything will be all right." Elphaba tried not to sound uncertain, but didn't entirely succeed. She glanced over at Riordan, who seemed much calmer now. For her part, Elphaba was a little frightened. She thought back on all of her past failings and misunderstandings with other people, and her heart filled with sorrow.

"I hope so," Graiya said faintly. Elphaba and Riordan departed for the living room before Fiyero could protest. Aya and her father remained in the bedroom briefly, listening for sounds from the other room. When both her mother and grandfather began to raise their voices, Graiya got quickly out of bed, as if she wanted to go in there too.

"No, Aya." Fiyero said gently. "This is between them. Let's go see Talissana like Mama told you. Stavna is in there waiting for us."

Graiya agreed, and the pair walked quickly down the hall to the nursery. They found Stavna sitting in the large rocking chair, swinging her legs impatiently. When she saw her sister come through the door, however, she jumped up and ran over, hugging her tightly.

"Aya, you're all better!" She cried happily. Stavna pulled away before she went on. "Mama did it, didn't she?"

"Yes," Graiya answered simply, before taking her sister's hand and leading her over to the crib, where the new baby slept. The noise from the other room hadn't disturbed her at all. Fiyero approached and watched his two older children as they peered in at the baby.

"She's normal," Graiya whispered. Before her father could comment on the combination of disappointment and relief in her voice, Graiya left the room and went to stand in the hallway. From there, she could better hear her mother and grandfather talking.

Once Riordan and Elphaba were alone in the living room, neither of them spoke for several minutes. Elphaba wanted to begin her explanation immediately, but when Riordan took a seat on the couch and lowered his head as if he were ashamed, Elphaba decided to hold her tongue. At last, it was Riordan who spoke.

"Are you going to explain what happened in there?" he questioned softly. Only after he looked her in the eye would Elphaba answer him. She set her jaw before she began to speak.

"I saved my daughter's life, that's what happened," she said, her voice low but furious. "How dare you think I'd ever do anything to hurt her! You know me better than that. I had to do something... When she helped save my life she took too much of my pain. If I hadn't done something... If only I'd known what she came back here for last night... I would have told her not..."

Riordan suddenly laughed bitterly, surprising Elphaba into silence. "If you had known? Do you really think I'm that gullible?? You have second sight, how could you not know!? You let that little girl come back here last night and nearly sacrifice herself to save you!"

Riordan was standing now, his temper and voice raised. The brief moment of silence was broken by the sound of a glass that had been left on the kitchen counter toppling to the floor and shattering. Elphaba and Riordan both behaved as if this did not happen, their minds focused on the conversation.

"I did not!" Elphaba cried. "I would never... Graiya came back here last night needing to see me. What was I supposed to do, refuse? I was so tired, so sick... I just didn't pick up on it. Then today when I was feeling better, I could sense it. It felt like she was dying... I didn't even know how much time I'd have to help her..."

As Elphaba sank down onto the couch, all of Riordan's fury left him, and he collapsed beside her. He glanced over and saw tears standing in the corners of Elphaba's eyes. "You really didn't know." he whispered. This was no longer a question, it was a statement. Elphaba met his gaze and shook her head slowly.

"Elphaba, I'm sorry. I overreacted and misunderstood. But when I came in and saw what you were doing, I thought... I shouldn't have assumed anything. I'm sorry, please forgive me."

Elphaba did not reply, instead she simply hugged Riordan tightly when he opened his arms to her. Once she felt safe in his embrace, Elphaba repeated some of her earlier words. "If I had known, I would never have let Graiya do it, Papa. She's so small... She could have killed herself doing that. All because she loves me so much. And I didn't have the slightest clue. How could I not know? She's my DAUGHTER."

"Yes, she is, and I'd never accuse you of not loving her. That isn't what I meant. It worries me, though... I think Graiya needs you to guide her in using the magic. Before she hurts herself again... Or hurts someone else."

From her place in the hallway, Graiya drew back as if she had been slapped. She had never imagined her Grandpapa thought such things about her. That she could be careless, thoughtless... Even dangerous. Before she could hear another word that was said in the living room, Aya fled back to the nursery, where Fiyero and Avna were still watching Talissana, who was slowly waking from her nap. Stavna looked into Graiya's face and frowned.

"What's wrong, Aya? You look really sad."

"Nothing. It's nothing," Graiya mumbled, quickly turning all of her attention to her new little sister. After a moment, Fiyero placed the tiny girl into Graiya's arms. Without being reminded, Graiya held the baby in just the way she had seen their mother do, gently cradling the newborn close to her body.

"She's so good, Papa. I haven't even heard her cry yet. She's so good."

Fiyero gave his oldest child an odd look when she repeated this. Something in her tone made him wonder if something else was going on.

"Aya, are you sure everything is all right?"

"I'm fine, Papa," Graiya replied, forcing herself to smile. After a few moments, though, the nine-year-old felt tears welling in her eyes. She quickly made an excuse so she could leave the room, and escaped down the hall to her own bedroom.

Following the surprising words uttered by Riordan, Elphaba pulled away from him, her face clouding with anger again. "What are you talking about?" she said harshly. "She's only nine years old! She only did what she did yesterday because she thought I was... She would NEVER hurt me. Never!"

"Not on purpose, no," Riordan said cautiously. "But unintentionally she might. Stavna isn't gifted with the magic, at least not that we can tell. And Talissana is so small, so helpless. What if Graiya accidentally..."

"Don't you EVER say that!" Elphaba raged. "Graiya is young, but she has a good head on her shoulders. And she would never even think about hurting her sisters! Not for a single minute. You don't understand her at all if you can stand there and say that! She's gifted with magic, just like me.We aren't evil monsters!"

When Elphaba finally paused in her tirade, Riordan spoke up immediately. "Elphaba, I didn't say any of those things," he said loudly but calmly. "I would never accuse either of you of doing something wrong on purpose. I love you both, you know that. What is this really about?"

Riordan's gentle words stopped Elphaba's anger in its tracks. Instead, sadness pushed its way to front of her mind. She seemed to be thinking of dozens of things at once... All of the pain in her childhood because of her family's shame over her magical talent being foremost. She felt the same now as her father and Nessa had always made her feel. She started to speak, and though she wanted to call Riordan papa as she always did, her feelings prevented her being able to.

"Riordan, I don't know if I can make you understand. When I was young, younger than Graiya is now

my family already knew I had talents. They never saw them as good, and my father... He would get so angry. At first, when things would happen, I was too young to really understand. I thought, if I just tried hard enough, the strange things that always seemed to happen, especially when I was angry, would stop. But by the time I reached my eighth birthday, I knew trying to stop myself from doing magic would be like trying to stay alive without breathing. I couldn't do it. I tried and tried... Then, one night Father had a whole houseful of people to dinner. He was afraid I'd embarrass him, so I was ordered to stay in my room. I couldn't even read because of all the noise, so after a while I found a spot on the landing I was pretty sure no one would see me watching from. There were two people right below me, huddled in a corner, laughing over something. After a minute, I realized they were talking about my sister.

"She'd been allowed to come to the party, even though she was only five. She loved all the attention, and most of the people fussed over her. But those two... They said such cruel things. I got so angry, and the next thing I knew, the glasses they each had in their hands shattered. Other things went flying, and that was what Father noticed. He knew... I saw him looking around, trying to see where I was hiding. I got up and ran. I stayed in my room after that, but I was still awake after everyone left. Only then did Father come up to see me. He screamed in my face, asked me what I thought I had been doing. He said I had ruined the party and brought him such shame... I tried to tell him what had happened, but at the first sound out of my mouth, he hit me. The next morning I already had bruises... Everyone in the house knew what had happened, but no one dared question Father's actions. He never did that again, but he didn't need to. I knew he hated the things I could do... Which meant he hated ME. He was afraid, he didn't understand. And neither do you."

Riordan opened his mouth to protest, and Elphaba rewarded him with a scowl. "It's true," she went on angrily. 'Just like almost everyone I've ever met in my life, you don't really understand. All these years I've treated you as if you were my father. What a fool I was!" Elphaba laughed bitterly, then went on. "Until you've had time to think about the things you said about me and Graiya, I'd rather not see you for a while."

Riordan looked badly shocked, and immediately began to try to remedy the situation. "Elphaba, I told you I was sorry. I meant it. You'd never told me before what your father was like. I'm sorry he treated you that way. But I'm not like him, Elphaba. I'm not ashamed of you, or..."

"Yes you are! You sounded just like him... And I think that, if you'd had time, you would really have hurt me before."

Riordan was so hurt and angered by this suggestion that he didn't trust himself to speak. In the midst of the angry silence, Glinda walked through the door, bringing the potion she didn't yet know was unneeded. Olive was beside her, holding her hand. They both stopped just inside the door when they saw the fury in Elphaba's eyes.

"Elphie, what's going on?" Glinda asked this cautiously, realizing that whatever was going on was something she had no clue about yet. If something had happened to Graiya, everyone would be sad, not angry. Elphaba gestured toward Riordan as she replied.

"Ask him," she growled, volunteering nothing more. Olive, how was normally very cowed by her aunt's anger, stepped forward and spoke. "Aunt Elphie, can I stay here for a while and play? Graiya is better, isn't she?"

Elphaba turned all of her attention to her niece, walking over and kneeling in front of her. "Yes, she's fine. Of course you can stay. I'm not sure where everyone is, but they're here somewhere. The girls will be glad you came."

Olive smiled, but only for an instant. "Aunt Elphie?" she asked timidly. "Why do you look so sad?"

Elphaba reached out and gently grasped the end of one of Olive's curls, using it to tickle the little girl's cheek. This made her giggle, and Elphaba smiled in return.

"I'll be fine. Go on, find your cousins. I'll check on you later."

Satisfied, Olive left the room. Once she had gone, Glinda demanded an explanation of what was going on. This was provided entirely by Riordan. Elphaba glared at him throughout it, but most of all when he told of his accusations of her. Glinda shared her friend's anger at this point, but years of habit made her hold her tongue rather than raging at her father. When Riordan told of Elphaba's wish not to see him again for some time, Glinda gasped.

"Elphie, I know you're upset, but maybe if you and Papa talked about it a little longer..."

"I'm done talking about it, Glinda. Whatever happens now is up to him. He's the one that's unfairly accusing people of things." Here she turned to Riordan and spoke to him, however reluctantly. "I'd really like you to leave now. I need to look after the children."

Normally, Elphaba and Riordan didn't part without giving each other a hug and kiss. Today, Riordan knew better than to even try offering these. Instead, he just walked quietly to the door, where he paused, but did not turn around. "Goodbye, Elphaba," he whispered. "I'm only doing this because it's what you want. But I can be stubborn too... Don't expect to get rid of me this easily."

As he went through the door, Elphaba had to fight the urge to call after him. Instead, she watched sadly from the window as he walked down the sidewalk. After a moment, she felt Glinda's hand on her shoulder.

"Elphie, the two of you will make up. Once you're both calmed down, you can try to talk again. You have a right to be angry, but he loves you... You love him, too."

Elphaba turned away from the window, hastily wiping a pair of tears from her face. "I need to go look in on the children," she said rapidly. "The baby will need to nurse soon. But please stay. Please."

Glinda agreed to this without hesitation. When Travion returned from his errands and found his own house empty except for Riordan, who was hastily packing, he asked for an explanation. Riordan would offer none, and Travion had to get it from Glinda instead. They decided to remain at Elphaba and Fiyero's house for the night. Once the children had been tucked into bed, Glinda tried again to broach the subject of her father.

"Glinda, I said I don't want to talk about it. It's up to him now, that's all I have to say. Now, I'm very tired. In case you've forgotten, I did just deliver a baby. Good night!"

With that, Elphaba stormed out of the room. Fiyero and Travion both gave Glinda sympathetic looks. "She needs time, that's all," Fiyero said gently. "I can't blame her for being angry... In fact, I agree with her. But, I never thought she'd tell your father..."

"He's her father too!" Glinda shouted, starting to cry softly. "I know how much those things Papa said hurt her. But she finally has a father... They care about each other so much. And now..." Glinda's words were lost in tears at this point. Fiyero gently suggested that they all turn in for the night, and soon, everyone was resting in bed. Elphaba and Fiyero were awake for some time, saying very little, just taking comfort from their closeness. The baby had nursed easily and was now asleep again. Elphaba at last felt herself drifting off too, and besides whispering good night, she could not stop herself from saying something else as well.

"I miss him already," she whispered. Fiyero wanted to say something, but could think of nothing that would be comforting enough. So he just hugged her tightly, kissed her behind one ear, and told her he loved her. Not minutes after that, they were both asleep.

Graiya laid awake for so long, and was so perfectly still, that her muscles ached when she tried to move. Once she was up, she moved quickly, snatching the small bag she had packed from its hiding place under her bed. She wanted to kiss her sister and cousin goodbye, but they were sound asleep in Stavna's bed. Besides, after what their grandfather had said, Graiya wondered if she might be hurting people just by touching them. After all, all she had done to help her mother was hold her hand...

The little girl tiptoed out of her room and toward the front door, pausing only once when someone, probably her uncle, suddenly snored loudly. A moment later, she slipped out of the front door. Though she knew exactly where she wanted to go, getting there was another matter. Because though they had been to Taliesin's house occasionally by carriage, he usually came to their house. So Graiya wasn't sure she knew the way. Taliesin had always been like another uncle, very wise and patient. Graiya knew he was just the one she needed to talk to about what had happened with her grandpapa. This need became even more urgent as Graiya passed her aunt and uncle's house and realized Riordan's carriage was gone.

"I'm sorry, Grandpapa," she whispered into the wind. "I didn't mean to do anything bad." Graiya hung her head, and for the first time in her life, felt ashamed of her talent for magic.


	11. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Elphaba woke early the next morning as usual. She tended to Talissana for a short while before going down the hall to look in on the other children. Stavna and Olive were still peacefully asleep, and at first Elphaba wasn't surprised to find Graiya's bed was empty. just lately, she tended to be an early riser as well. But once Elphaba had walked through the house and saw no sign of her oldest child, worry crept in.

Before going so far as to wake anyone else, Elphaba stepped outside to see if Graiya might be in the yard, though she knew better than to go outside without telling someone first. When the yard was likewise empty, Elphaba went to rouse Fiyero, who definitely didn't appreciate the early wake-up call.

"Just because you're always up early, why do I have to be?" he groaned, turning away from his wife and closing his eyes again.

"You have to get up. I can't find Graiya."

This instantly got Fiyero's attention and he sat up, his voice full of alarm.

"What do you mean you can't find her?"

"Just what I said!" Elphaba snapped. "She's not in her bed, or anywhere inside the house. Not the yard either. If someone had gotten in here, one of us would have woken up. I didn't hear a thing... And now she's not here. She wouldn't just leave the house, she knows better than..." Elphaba paused as she recalled the conversation with Riordan the previous day.

"Unless she overheard us..." Elphaba said this so softly Fiyero could scarcely hear her. "If she overheard him, what he said about the magic... That has to be it. But where would she go? Where?"

Fiyero was still barely awake, and felt very lost. "Wait a minute. I know you and Riordan had that fight, but Graiya was with me in the nursery, looking after the baby. She was acting strange, but I didn't... I thought it was nothing serious."

"I don't blame you. You couldn't have known. We just have to find her. She must be so... So crushed. But where is she? I can't sense anything."

"We'll look for her," Fiyero said, getting out of bed and quickly getting himself ready to go out. "I'll ask the other girls if they have any idea where she might have gone. When we get her home... Just for frightening you like this, I should give her a punishment she'll never forget!"

"She deserves to be punished, I know that. But I know how she must feel. She's wounded enough. Even after I explain this to her, she will still be hurt. Count yourself lucky you don't understand. She doesn't need punishment the most. She needs --"

"You," Fiyero finished before Elphaba could even think of the word she wanted to complete her thought. "I'm too angry. I'll make things worse. I'll stay here with the other children."

"You think I'm not angry?" Elphaba asked in surprise. "Of course I am... It just won't do me any good. She must be so confused. She was only trying to help me."

"You can make her understand, Ivy. Get yourself ready, I'll go talk to the girls."

Elphaba watched her husband walk out of the room, feeling like there was something else she should say but not knowing what it was. She got ready in just moments, and by the time Fiyero returned to the bedroom, Elphaba was anxious to be on her way.

"They don't know anything," Fiyero said, his voice dripping with frustration. "They fell asleep, Graiya was there. When they woke up she was gone. They said she didn't say more than five words before they all fell asleep."

Elphaba sighed, but wasn't exactly surprised at this news. What bothered her more was the fact that she had no sense of where Graiya was, or if she might be in any danger. She wondered how long she might be out looking, but decided to just get started and return home as soon as possible. Thankfully, Glinda and Travion slept on, therefore sparing Elphaba and Fiyero anymore explanations for the moment. After quickly looking in on the other children and kissing her husband goodbye, Elphaba was on her way, deciding to take the carriage rather than setting off on foot.

Explaining to the coachman that she had no exact destination drew a curious look from him, but once she shared further details, his face darkened. "If we need to drive around the entire city, then that's what we'll do," he said, saying the only thing he thought might be comforting. They set out, and at first Elphaba looked up and down each side of the street for her daughter. But soon, she realized she had the wrong idea. Graiya wasn't likely to be out in the open... Her appearance made it all too obvious who she was, and she was trying to hide, not be found.

"Where are you, Aya?" Elphaba whispered to herself, closing her eyes and making herself concentrate. She knew that visions could not be forced, but hoped that single-minded focus on trying to sense where her daughter was would be helpful. She felt confident Graiya had not left the city limits. It would be unlike her to turn to a stranger for any kind of help, and Elphaba knew that Graiya would not be at the home of the only friend she had from school. That was too simple. After another moment, an idea burst into Elphaba's mind, and she nearly shouted the address to the coachman. Not ten minutes later, they pulled up in front of Taliesin's house. Elphaba climbed down from the carriage and walked slowly to the door, afraid her instinct was wrong.

Elphaba's knock was answered quickly, despite the early hour. Taliesin smiled when he saw Elphaba, but it quickly faded when he saw the anxiety and fear in her eyes. "Is Graiya here? I woke up this morning and she was gone. We don't think anyone took her... Please, is she here?"

"Yes," Taliesin replied, pausing as relief washed over Elphaba's face. "She's sleeping. We were up talking most of the night. She assured me you knew where she'd gone. I'm sorry, I would have sent a message if I had known she left without permission." He stepped aside, allowing his former student to enter.

"She's asleep in the guest room, first door on the left, down the hallway there. Take as long as you need."

Elphaba quickly went to the door Taliesin had indicated, but for a moment hesitated to open it. Once she pushed it open and saw Graiya asleep in the bed, she released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Graiya was indeed still asleep, but it was clear her rest had been filled with tossing and turning. As Elphaba watched, Graiya turned over again, tangled loosely in the sheets. She suddenly opened her eyes.

"Mama... you came," she whispered sleepily, sounding so surprised... so glad, that Elphaba had to hold back sudden tears. "I'm sorry I left without asking," she went on. "But I heard--"

"I know," Elphaba interrupted. "We'll talk about it later. Sleep now, darling heart. You had a very long night." Elphaba approached the bed, took off her shoes, and climbed in beside Graiya, who rapidly moved away to the other side.

"Don't get too close, Mama!" the child cried. "If you touch me it might... hurt you. I don't want to do that. I don't!"

"I know," Elphaba said again, soothingly. "You didn't hurt me, Aya. You helped save my life."

"But Grandpapa said..."

"He's wrong," Elphaba cut in angrily. "He is, Aya. I promise, we'll talk about it later. After you get some more rest."

Elphaba remained there with her daughter until the little girl dropped off to sleep again. Even in slumber, Graiya stayed as far away from her mother as possible. After a short time, Elphaba got up and went to talk to Taliesin, because she was interested to know what he had said to Graiya.

"I tried to explain to her how wrong her grandfather was, but I could tell she wasn't convinced. At least not yet. She needs time. She kept telling me that she never wants to use magic again. Even I know that for her, trying to do that is like trying to stop loving you... It's impossible. When she is ready, I think it nneds to be you that guides her."

"You're right, I'm sure," Elphaba said quietly. Then, she said it was really time for them to go home, since the coachman was still waiting, and Talissana would be needing attention. Taliesin was surprised and overjoyed to find out about his little namesake, and promised to come for a visit in a few days in order to meet her.

At this point, Elphaba went to get Graiya from the guest room. Rather than waking her, Elphaba carried her to the carriage. When they arrived home a short time later, Graiya was still sleeping. When Fiyero opened the door to them, he was simply happy to see his daughter home and unhurt. He kissed her on the forehead before Elphaba took her to the bedroom to put her down. Stavna and Olive, who had been waiting anxiously in the room, trying to distract themselves with play, were extremely relieved to see Graiya. They quietly left for the downstairs living room so they wouldn't disrupt Graiya's sleep. Once the older children were settled, Elphaba went to the nursery to check on Talissana, who was sound asleep. Elphaba then went to join her husband in the living room, though reluctantly.

"Where did you find her?" Fiyero asked without preface. Hearing the lack of anger in his voice, Elphaba met his eyes.

"Taliesin's. When I got there she was asleep, but even before I could try to wake her up, she opened her eyes. She overheard Riordan, just like I thought. When I tried to touch her, she wouldn't let me. She's afraid of hurting me."

"Then that's where you start. I know you could never be afraid of her. Tell her that. Talking her through this is more important than anything else right now, and I'd love to help... But it isn't me she needs. Once she gets up, you'll have to give it a try."

"You make it sound so easy, Fiyero. How am I supposed to know just what to say? I never thought I'd have to explain something like this to her. We've been so careful, trying to make sure she knows she's not doing anything wrong. And now Riordan has changed everything."

Fiyero scowled and looked like he wanted to rage against the upset Riordan had brought to his family. After a moment, though, his fury calmed, because he knew his wife and daughter were the ones he needed to take care of. Any words he had for Riordan would have to wait for another day.

"He did," Fiyero answered simply. "But Graiya is home now, and when she's ready to listen to you, you can start making things right again. I think you're not giving yourself enough credit. I'm sure you'll know what to say to her, Ivy. Just tell her the things you always wanted your father to say to you."

Elphaba made no reply, but nodded her head slightly. Fiyero could see she was lost in her own thoughts, so their conversation came to an end. By the time Elphaba had tended to the baby and looked in on the other children, Travion and Glinda awoke. After they had taken enough time to be fully awake, they were told about what Graiya had done. Travion frowned and spoke hesitantly.

"I think it might be better if we all went home for now. You have enough to worry about already without having house guests."

"You aren't guests," Elphaba said softly. "Please stay. At the very least, having all of you here might make Graiya feel better. Not to mention me."

Glinda smiled, but the expression didn't go all the way to her eyes. "Elphie, once Graiya is less upset, maybe it would be a good idea to send her and Stavna to stay with Fiyero's parents. They always go for two weeks or so in the summer anyway. It might be just what they need."

"No," Elphaba said gently. "Graiya will probably think she's being punished. She loves to visit her grandparents, but I don't think now is the time. She needs us."

Glinda nodded before speaking again. "But she needs my father, too... So do you. Maybe if the three of you could talk just once more... Please, Elphie."

Elphaba's expression hardened as she replied. "Not yet. I'm not ready, and obviously neither is Graiya. Of course I won't keep him from my children. That never crossed my mind. But Graiya loves him... That's why what he said hurt so much. When she's ready, he can come for a visit."

"You still love him, too," Glinda said quietly, but knew better than to press the issue any further. Fiyero got started making breakfast for everyone while Elphaba went to look in on Graiya once more. She found her little girl perched on her narrow windowsill, staring out at the bright sunshine. She obviously heard her mother enter, because she almost immediately spoke, without looking Elphaba in the eye.

"He doesn't really love me anymore," Graiya whispered, her voice filled with tears. "If Grandpapa still loved me, he wouldn't say what he said."

"He does love you, Aya," Elphaba replied, crossing the room to stand beside her daughter. "I promise he does. He was just afraid and worried. I did my best to explain, to defend you. He will understand, once he thinks about things."

"If you think he still loves us, why don't you want to see him?" Graiya challenged, levelling her gaze on her mother. "You've never done that to anyone else. Be mad at him, if you want... But why tell him to stay away? Why?? It isn't fair, Mama!"

Elphaba was so surprised by this turn in the conversation that it took her a long time to think of what she wanted to say. Once she at last composed her thoughts, her words came slowly, but firmly.

"You're right, Aya. It isn't fair. All I can say is, he hurt me so deeply, that I need time to heal inside before I talk to him. I won't keep him from you and your sisters. I guess I'm still getting used to having a father. The father I grew up with, he..."

"He hated you," Graiya whispered, a tear streaming down each cheek. "I've felt that sometimes, inside you. Why did he hate you, Mama? I can never figure that part out, it gets all jumbled up."

Elphaba did not hesitate to answer this time. "That's a very good way to describe how he made me feel. When I was very little, I knew he hated me, because of my skin... and my magic. I might still have tried to love him. But he didn't want anything from me. He was ashamed of me, embarrassed. All of the things your father and I have been so careful not to burden you with. And now..."

"You think Grandpapa is like that," Graiya finished, and Elphaba nodded.

"But he is wrong about you, Aya. You did nothing wrong. Papa and I aren't ashamed of you, we aren't angry or frightened. We could never be frightened of you. You wouldn't hurt me. You're already learning to control the magic. I could never be afraid of you. And holding hands, hugging each other or anything is fine, darling heart. There is no harm in that. None."

"Are you sure? I mean, all I did was hold your hand, and Grandpapa said..."

"You aren't always doing magic. Being close to me at other times is just... Normal. And you didn't hurt me with what you did. You did hurt yourself, and you shouldn't do that either. If you'd let me, I can teach you how to use the magic more safely. Do you think you'd like that?"

"Yes. Oh yes..." Graiya paused, a twinkle of laughter coming to her eyes. "But with the way you get angry, are you sure you're the best one to show me, Mama?"

"Oh, you are funny," Elphaba teased back. "Unless you want Aunt Glinda to try it, at the risk of teaching you how to make half your body disappear or something, I guess you're stuck with me."

Graiya laughed out loud before answering. "It's not that bad. She did help save you too. Her magic is just... Different. Grandpapa isn't scared of her magic." Graiya shrugged, then at last came down out of the window to sit on her bed. After a moment, Elphaba came over to sit beside her.

"Mama?" Graiya asked after a moment. "Are you sure it's okay that we touch? Really sure??"

"Absolutely," Elphaba replied without an instant of hesitation. Mother and daughter shared a long hug, and then went to the living room, where Fiyero was waiting for them. Graiya took one look at his face and knew what was on his mind.

"If you're going to punish me, Papa, go ahead," she said calmly. "I'm sorry I ran away, I know I shouldn't have. I'm really sorry, Papa." Graiya took a seat on the couch, as far away from her father as possible. She looked him in the eye, but quickly looked away again.

"I know you are. But Graiya, next time you are going to ask someone to take you where you want to go. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Papa. Will you tell me my punishment now? Whatever it is, I want to get it over with."

"Well, that's going to take a little time, young lady. You have to do all of your sister's chores plus your own, for the next two weeks."

Both Graiya and Elphaba stared at him in surprise. "That's all?" Graiya said, unable to stop the words. Fiyero smiled gently.

"Yes. I think you've been through enough already that you don't need sterner punishment. After a while, once you and your grandfather talk about things, everything will be fine, Aya. You'll see."

"Only if Mama talks to him, too." Graiya whispered sadly. Then, she met her mother's eyes. "He's not really mad at you, Mama. It's me... He still loves you, and he still wants to be your papa. Can't you let him? Please?"

"I will, when I'm ready. We'll have to talk about it another day. Grandpapa went home last night."

"Oh," Graiya said, so softly both of her parents barely heard it. "Is that my fault?"

"No," Fiyero and Elphaba answered in unison. Then Elphaba went on. "I told him I didn't want to talk to him for a while. He chose to go back to Gillikin... I can't blame him, though. I know I hurt his feelings. Soon I will send him a letter, and we can start over from there."

Graiya looked like she wanted to say more, but held her tongue. Once she was given permission to leave the room, she went downstairs to see what her sister and cousin were doing, trying not to think about the fact that part of their family was now missing. And that no matter what her parents said, it was partly her own fault.

By the time Graiya's two weeks of punishment reached their end, everyone had returned to either work or school. Taliesin and even Cole had been for a visit, and Graiya's lessons with her mother had begun. The only thing that hadn't happened was that Elphaba had not sent a letter to Riordan yet. No one in the family had discussed his absence during the fourteen days, but as Graiya was being tucked into bed now, she could not help bringing up her grandfather.

"Mama, please won't you send Grandpapa that letter now? I know you're still mad, and I'll be scared of him, a little... But I miss him. He misses us. I've felt it. My birthday is in just a few weeks. What if..."

"He won't miss your birthday, Aya. I promise. Aunt Glinda can tell him what day to come for the party. Don't worry."

"But you won't talk to him. Will you?" Graiya accused.

Elphaba sighed and closed her eyes. "I can't promise anything. I told you how he made me feel. It will take time. It's late, you should be asleep."

Graiya knew her mother had changed the subject to avoid getting upset, so she let it drop. Elphaba spent several minutes talking to Stavna, trying to dispel the heavy mood in the room. the younger girl's giggles helped everyone feel a little better. Once the two sisters were alone, Stavna turned to face Graiya.

"Aya, I miss Grandpapa too. Why can't we send him that letter? Papa would help us."

"Maybe. I miss him, but after what he said, I'm scared to see him again. What if he hates me?"

"Wouldn't you already know that? You said you feel what he feels... What is he feeling right now?"

"Sometimes I can't tell... He's sort of far away. But right now he's annoyed... so maybe he's talking to his wife."

Stavna giggled, then said, "Aya, that's not very nice."

"No, it isn't. But it's true. She makes him unhappy a lot. And she hates Mama... so I don't have to like her."

"Aya... Do you think people like her hate Mama the way the kids at school hate you?""

"Didn't I ask you not to talk about that here?? Mama and Papa have enough to worry about with their jobs, and now Talissana being born. I've already got them mad at me because I ran away. I won't make things harder by telling them about the bullies at school. I can't use my magic on them, so I'll just do the best I can."

"But... what happens if they do the same thing this year on the last day of school? You had bruises for so long last time. I don't know how Mama and Papa never saw. It scares me, but they shouldn't do that! I don't care what you say, this time I'm sticking up for you!"

"No, Avna. I've told you, it isn't for you to worry about. I can handle it. I promise."

Stavna looked her sister in the eye. Even in the dim light, Graiya could see the intensity in her expression.

"You're my sister. That means I have to worry about you. I hate those kids... I really do. Boys are stupid!"

"Everybody acts stupid sometimes. They don't like me because I'm different, and everybody can see it. But I told you, if we tell Mama about this, she will feel bad. She knows all about stuff like this already. I won't make her anymore sad. I just won't."

"Okay," Stavna agreed with a sigh. "If you're sure."

"I am." When Graiya went on, her voice was more gentle. "Go to sleep, Stavna. It's late, and we want to be up in time to send that letter to Grandpapa before lunch."

The short letter Stavna and Graiya wrote to their grandfather was sent the very next day. Several days later, a reply arrived. The girls were happy when Riordan said he would be coming for a visit. It would coincide with the end of the school year, when Stavna and Graiya would be enjoying their first day of freedom from teachers and homework.

The excitement of summer holidays plus a visit from their grandfather got both girls out of bed very early on the day Riordan was due to arrive. Their mother was still on leave from her job because of the birth of the baby. She was so busy with household tasks that Graiya was able to make it out of the house to play without her mother seeing any of the fresh bruises she had gotten the previous day.

Once Stavna and Graiya were perched in the limbs of their favorite tree in the front yard, Stavna looked at her sister's arms and burst into tears.

"I told you they'd do it! Yesterday even I didn't see those marks on you. Please tell Mama now, Aya. Please."

"I don't want to. She's very busy today, and she's worried enough about seeing Grandpapa. Papa just went back to work. It's not the time."

"You always say that!" Stavna cried. "What if they had hurt you worse, and your bones were broken?? Then what?"

"I don't know," Graiya admitted. "But I'm fine, it's just bruises. We're supposed to be having fun. You don't want Grandpapa to show up and see you crying do you?"

"No," Stavna whispered, her breath still hitching with tears. "Do you think he'll stay a few days? Maybe we can go over to Aunt Glinda's house and visit. Then Mama won't get mad."

"They need to talk... I'm hoping if she'll at least say hi, that maybe..." Graiya paused, her face clouded by pain. "You wait here. I'm going to go inside and at least put long sleeves on. If I can find something for the pain, I'll take it."

Graiya climbed down to the ground slowly, and just as she got both feet on the ground, she saw Riordan approaching the house on foot. She tried to hurry to the door and get inside, but Riordan was walking quickly. As he neared and Graiya knew he had seen her bruises already, she stopped where she was and waited for the inevitable questions.

Once Riordan was close enough, he knelt on the grass in front of Graiya and gently took her hands. Stavna quietly came down from her perch in the tree to stand beside her sister.

"Graiya, who gave you all these bruises?" Riordan asked this as gently as he could, sensing that Graiya was still leery of having him so close. The way he had asked the question gave her no room to try and tell him that it had been an accident, a fall... Anything else than what it was.

"Some of the kids at my school. Yesterday was the last day, and they usually just pick on me. But yesterday... Please don't tell Mama! She doesn't even know yet. I don't want to make her sad!"

Riordan wanted to hug Graiya gently, but she resisted his efforts, so he hugged Stavna instead. He kept her close as he went on. "Aya, your parents need to know about this. They wouldn't be angry... You know that. They can help make things better."

Graiya's face suddenly hardened. "Why do you care? You think I'm bad anyway. You probably think I should have gotten beat up!"

"Graiya Rose, that is not a fair thing to say. No matter what I said the last time I was here, that doesn't mean I want to see you hurt like this."

Graiya was clearly unconvinced, and after several long moments of silence, Riordan went inside with Stavna to say hello to Elphaba and Talissana. Once they had gone, Graiya slowly walked back to the tree and sank down, resting her back against its trunk. Though she knew she shouldn't, there was no stopping it, and Graiya burst into tears.


	12. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I really enjoy writing angst & I hope you think that's a good thing. Please do leave a review when you have time, they're very encouraging. And to Kay, I am hoping you'll read this soon (for the 2nd time). I miss you lots.

Maureen

Chapter 10

After Graiya got her emotions back under control, she knew she had no choice but to go inside and show her mother the bruises. It was likely Riordan had already told her, so there was no point in avoiding it any longer. Still, as Graiya came through the door, she hesitated, stopping just inside the threshold and calling out softly.

"Mama, where are you?"

Without a word, Elphaba came to where her daughter stood and knelt in front of her. "Aya, why didn't you tell me what happened? And you've been crying." Graiya knew the small welt-like marks must be very evident on her face, and looked away. As she did she whispered,

"So have you, Mama. I'm sorry. This is just what I didn't want. I didn't want you to know, because I knew you'd be sad." Graiya met her mother's eyes again, holding her head proudly erect. "But I wasn't afraid of them, Mama. I tried to fight them, really. But there were five of them, and I..."

"I know. I'm not angry at you for that. You were defending yourself. But Graiya, you should have told me." Here Elphaba gently took both of her daughter's hands and looked carefully at the angry bruises that covered each arm.

"How much do they hurt?"

"A lot, sometimes," Graiya admitted. "I'll be fine. Last year was worse."

"This happened last year, too?' Elphaba said, before she could try to keep the anger out of her voice. Graiya nodded quickly.

"Please don't be mad, Mama. I know I should have told you. But it was only bruises, just like now. They went away."

"Graiya, that isn't the point. The point is, you shouldn't have things like that happen at school. If you'd told me, I would have gone to talk to someone about it."

Graiya looked down, her voice becoming barely audible.

"My teacher has asked me to have you come, and even sent notes a couple of times. I threw them away. The boys in my class hate me because of how I look. I don't want anybody to hurt you, too!"

"I know. I love you for worrying about me. But this is a time you need to let me take care of things, Aya. I will talk to the teacher and see what can be done about this. Next year will be different."

Graiya looked uncertain, but nodded anyway. "Those kids hate me, Mama." she whispered. "They'll hate you too, if they know you talked to the teacher."

Elphaba expected her daughter to say something more, but nothing else was forthcoming. Seeing the haunted, frightened look in Graiya's eyes, Elphaba pulled her close, gently. They stayed like that for what seemed like a very long time. Eventually, Graiya saw Riordan watching them, and forced herself to draw away from her mother. Riordan frowned.

"Aya, you aren't doing anything wrong. You asked me to visit... Won't you even try to talk to me about what happened the last time I was here?"

Graiya shook her head and backed away. "Tomorrow," she replied sadly. "Maybe tomorrow."

Riordan had no choice but to accept this answer as Graiya left to go in search of Stavna. If only he had known what the next day would hold, Riordan would have followed his oldest grandchild, and made her understand that he was terribly sorry... And reminded her of how very much he loved her.

The next day began happily enough. Riordan remained in the city, but rose early to go shopping, something that was unlike him and made his family wonder. This was to be Elphaba and Fiyero's first day back at work since Talisanna's birth. The baby went with her mother to work, while the two older girls went with their father to his tea shop. Despite her painful bruises, Graiya was happy for the special day out with her father.

Stavna, for her part, was her usual cheerful self. All of her anxiety from the last few days flew away. She laughed and sang as she always did when her heart was happy. When lunchtime came, Avna made up a song on the spot to entertain her father and make him laugh. Fiyero didn't hesitate to say yes when Graiya asked to go out into the city streets, but only because of the reason she gave for wanting to go.

"I want to find Grandpapa. Please, Papa."

"Of course." Fiyero said gently. kissing his daughter on the forehead. "Try not to take long, though. And don't tell Mama I let you go off by yourself."

Graiya laughed quietly, a bright smile filling her face. "I won't. I promise. Thanks, Papa!" With that, Graiya was gone. Having finished lunch, Fiyero returned to his work. Stavna stayed there in the corner of the shop, watching out the window as her sister got smaller and smaller.

Stavna was still standing quietly in that same corner, staring at the spot where she had last been able to see her sister, when a sharp pain struck her, making her unable to catch her breath. She only had a second or two to wonder what had caused it. Then she knew. Somewhere in the city, Graiya was feeling the same pain. She was hurt, and in trouble.

Once Stavna could breathe again, she looked over to see what her father was doing. As soon as he finished with the customer he was helping, Avna rushed to her father's side, grabbing his hand.

"Papa, Aya is in trouble," she whispered fearfully. "She's hurt... Someone is hurting her!"

Fiyero studied his daughter's face. He had no doubts Stavna was telling the truth. After all the years of helping Graiya adjust to her own psychic ability, he knew better than to question such things when they happened. His hesitation was born only of a sadness that settled over him as he realized Stavna shared that burden, no matter how little of it. Fiyero knelt in front of his middle child, watching as her face became clouded with pain.

"Avna, do you know exactly where she is? Can you see that?"

"No... It's not like that. I can't see anything. I'm feeling what she feels. It feels like dying. I think she's dying!"

Stavna began to cry softly, hugging her father tightly. "Somebody has to find her, Papa! Please can't I go?"

Fiyero hesitated for a brief moment, knowing that when Graiya was found it was sure to be very traumatic for Stavna. But with the state she was in, it seemed a worse idea to leave her behind with her uncle.

"All right, Avna. You have to promise to hold my hand the whole time."

"I do. We have to hurry, Papa!"

The pair walked out into the bright sunshine after calling out to Travion that there was a family emergency, promising to return as quickly as they could. Once the door of the shop closed behind them, Stavna pointed straight ahead with her free hand. "She's that way," Stavna whispered, sounding haunted.

They walked a short way when Avna suddenly tugged her father toward a small passageway between two houses. In that dark, damp space they found Graiya collapsed on the ground, once again beaten, but this time bleeding and with an obvious injury to her head. Fiyero knew he had no choice but to carry his daughter elsewhere to get her the help she needed. He lifted Aya as carefully as he could, and was actually relieved for the moment that she showed no sign of being conscious.

"She needs Mama. Mama can help!"

Fiyero quickened his pace, headed to exactly where Stavna had suggested. This had been his plan from the moment he took Graiya into his arms, but at Stavna's words it felt even more urgent. They reached the building where Elphaba worked within moments. People passing in the hallways looked at them fearfully, since it was easy enough to guess what had happened to Graiya. When they reached Elphaba's receiving room, she had a visitor, but they went forward anyway. Elphaba gasped when she saw them coming. She excused herself from speaking to her guest and rushed toward her family.

"Who did this?"

"I don't know," Fiyero said with anguish. "We found her just like this. I don't even know how badly she might be hurt inside."

"Let me take her. I know what to do." Elphaba sounded so sure of herself that Fiyero didn't hesitate to place Graiya in her mother's arms.

Without a moment's hesitation, Elphaba laid Graiya carefully on the floor, placing both hands in the center of the child's chest as she had the last time Graiya's life had been in danger. As Elphaba felt her hands and arms begin to tingle intensely, she focused her thoughts on how she wished her daughter to be healed, and how very much she loved her. Elphaba realized that the magic flowing between herself and her child would not completely cure her. But it would at least bring Graiya back from the precarious state she was in. She remained there for so long, noticing nothing going on around her, that she didn't even sense the personal toll of sending out such powerful energy. She heard the sound of strained breathing as if it were coming from a very far away place. She didn't realize it was the sound of her own breathing until Fiyero dropped a hand on her shoulder.

"Elphaba, that's enough," he said gently. "You're hurting yourself. But look, her eyes are open now."

For the first time since focusing so intently on her objective, Elphaba looked down into Graiya's face. She looked as if she had just awakened from a very confusing dream, her eyes blinking rapidly. She began to move as if she wanted to sit up, but Elphaba stopped her.

"Not yet. How do you feel, darling heart?"

"My head feels funny." Graiya's hand went automatically to the spot where she had been most badly hurt. She looked frightened when she pulled her hand away again and realized she was bleeding. "And my insides feel funny too... Like something is poking me. I can't breathe so good, Mama."

Everyone present knew that Graiya's condition called for a visit from a doctor. They made sure that Graiya remained still and quiet while the doctor was sent for and the wait began. Naturally, no one else was allowed in the room, except for Glinda, who was very anxious to do what she could to comfort everyone, especially the children. Seeing that Graiya was in very the very capable hands of her parents, Glinda suggested that Stavna leave the room with her, to avoid any further upset. At this, Stavna immediately shook her head.

"I want to stay with my sister," she said firmly. "I was able to help Papa find her before she... I could feel what was happening. It was scary, but it's better now. I want to stay."

Glinda agreed without hesitation, looking like she wanted to cry. For her part, Elphaba turned all of her attention to her middle daughter, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I'm sorry it scared you, dearest, but I'm so glad you sensed what was happening. You helped Papa get there in time, that's a very good thing."

"It's my own kind of magic, isn't it Mama? Does yours make you scared like mine made me?"

"Sometimes. I think you'll feel happy things too, Avna. They won't always frighten you. "

In the next fifteen minutes, a doctor arrived. He began to examine Graiya where she lay, not wanting to move her until he was more certain of her condition. Fiyero remained with the older girls, while Elphaba had to go across the room to let Talisanna nurse.

"Two broken ribs," the doctor announced matter-of-factly. "The head injury looks bad because of the blood, but since she's awake and seems to be doing all right, it's probably superficial. Still, I'd like her to stay in the hospital."

At the alarmed expressions on Glinda and Fiyero's faces, the doctor hurried on. "Only overnight, I should think. I could have some of my staff come bring her, or you can bring her by carriage if you'd rather. You'll have to be very careful of the broken bones, but wrapping her ribs tightly should do for getting her there. Which would you rather do?"

Graiya instantly reached for her father's hand, grasping it as tightly as she could. "Please take me, Papa. Please."

"Aya, I think it would be safer to let the others take you. There's less chance you'll be in a lot of pain. Mama and I can come see you later."

"No! No, I don't want to go without one of you!" Graiya burst into tears, causing herself greater pain. "Please, Papa..."

"Okay. Okay, Aya," Fiyero answered quickly, frightened a little by the intensity of her reaction. "I'll go with you. Just try to calm down, now. We're going to have to take care of your ribs before we go. It's going to hurt you, and I'm sorry. Your head looks better though. I don't think it's bleeding now."

"Still feels funny," Graiya whispered, her voice suddenly very weak. "I wish Mama could just sing me something pretty... I could go to sleep..."

"No!" Stavna cried suddenly. "Don't sleep, Aya! Stay awake, please stay awake!"

Fiyero realized immediately why Stavna was so upset, but there was nothing he or the doctor could do. By the time they both tried to talk to Graiya and keep her awake for the trip to the hospital, she was unconscious. Graiya's ribs were quickly wrapped, and Fiyero left with her, while the rest of the family remained where they were. Someone cleaned Graiya's blood off the floor without being told. Elphaba kept her two younger children close, and they soon left for the hospital as well. Glinda remained where she was, knowing it was too early to be finished with her visitors for the day... but mostly because she was afraid to go to the hospital just yet. She was very surprised when, near the end of the day, her father showed up.

"I'm sorry to show up here," he began. "I knew you wouldn't be home yet, but I went to Elphaba's house hoping to talk to her when she got home... I knew Fiyero should have gotten home already. No one was there. What happened? I know something has. I can see it in your eyes."

Glinda hesitated only briefly before finding the words to explain. "Papa... Earlier today, Fiyero showed up here with Graiya and Stavna. Graiya was... Someone had beaten her. They stayed here for a while. Elphaba did what she could. But Graiya is in the hospital right now."

Riordan's shoulders sagged, and he nearly dropped the shopping bag he carried. He stared at it, and suddenly seemed focused and determined. "I'll go there straight from here. Aren't you going to come?"

"Yes. But in all the excitement Travion doesn't know what's happened. I should go by the shop and explain to him. We'll be there after he's closed it up." Glinda noticed her father staring down at what he held in his hands, and couldn't help asking him about it.

"What have you got in there? It must be important."

"It is. And now I don't even know when I'll be able to give it to her."


	13. Chapter 11

Author's Note: After a break that was much longer than planned, here is Chapter 11. I hope you all like it. I look forward to your comments, and I thank you for them in advance. Also, I am looking for a beta, someone who can tell me where my ideas aren't quite working, as well as where they are. Spelling/grammar checking isn't necessary. Please send me a PM if you are interested. Thanks.

Chapter 11

Over the next hour, everyone in the family assembled at the hospital. Elphaba had brought her two younger daughters with her, while Travion and Glinda had gone home to fetch Olive from the care of her nanny. Thankfully, there was a room where the other children could go play while the adults waited. Only Talissana remained with the adults, because she was still so young. Elphaba sat quietly with the baby, her face filled with anxiety, while Fiyero rapidly paced the floor. Riordan and Glinda sank into a chair on either side of Elphaba, while Travion sat on the other side of his wife.

Everyone sat in silence for so long that the quiet seemed to be pressing down on their heads, especially Elphaba's. Finally, she looked from Riordan's face to the large shopping bag he had brought with him.

"What's in there?" she asked, not sounding genuinely interested.

"Graiya's birthday pesent," Riordan sighed. "I know it's early to have bought it, but it's perfect. Would you like to see it?" Riordan knew he sounded stiff and uncomfortable, but couldn't seem to help it.

"Yes," Elphaba replied immediately.

Riordan carefully removed the large object from the bag. As soon as Elphaba and Glinda had a clear view of the book, they gasped. Travion looked on silently, and Fiyero stopped his pacing for the moment.

"Is that a book for...?"

"Spells," Riordan finished, not surprised at her hesitation. "It took time to find one this large, but I wanted it to last her a while. Maybe I should have asked you first, but once I started looking I knew it was just the thing. After what happened, I thought... Elphaba, please say something. Are you angry? If you want me to take it back..."

"No!" Elphaba cried, loudly enough to startle people nearby, who had already been sneaking glances at her since she arrived. "No, don't. It's... she'll love it. I know she will." Elphaba looked Riordan directly in the eye for the first time since he had arrived the day before. "Papa, there are so many things I need to say. To explain..."

Riordan shushed her gently. "Later, Elphaba. After Graiya is cared for and resting, we can talk. It can wait. You need to see her first."

"I do. She looked so small, so helpless. I don't even know how much I helped her, not really."

"Elphie," Glinda whispered, "you saved her life. The doctor took so long to get there. If not for you, Aya would probably be..."

"Don't say that word!" Elphaba cried, getting up and walking away from her friend and toward Fiyero. He drew Elphaba close to him and kissed her once on the lips before kissing his tiny daughter on the forehead.

"She's going to be fine, Ivy. You did everything you could, and now the doctors are doing their part. You can stay right here as much as you need to. I'll keep going to work so we will have money for the medical bills. I know you want to stay and take care of Graiya... I understand. I'll come here as often as I can. I bet she won't even be here that long. You'll see."

Elphaba seemed glad to have something practical to talk about, plans to make. She turned the discussion to another concern. "What about Stavna? It's the summer holidays, and even if Graiya isn't here long she might need time to finish recovering at home. Stavna is so sensitive. I know she loves Graiya, but she shouldn't have to see her suffering all day long."

"You're right. We'll figure something out. But you know how Stavna is... she doesn't like being away from Graiya too long."

Elphaba briefly flashed an amused smile. "Nice change from what I had when I was growing up. I loved Nessa, but I always wondered if she felt the same. It's not as if she acted like she enjoyed my company most of the time."

"Our girls are different. We've done everything to make sure of that. I think the protective instinct is mutual with them."

"It is. I... Sometimes I look at them and wonder if Nessa were still alive, would she love them both or not. Provided we ever made up."

"I wish the two of you could have had time to do that," Fiyero said quietly. "I bet she likes it that Graiya has the same middle name, though."

Elphaba had no time to reply, because in that moment a doctor approached. Since this was not the same one who had tended to Graiya earlier, he introduced himself and shook hands before informing Elphaba and Fiyero of their daughter's condition.

"Graiya seemed better when she first got here than she does now. She's grown disoriented, so the head injury is worse than I thought. And since her ribs were so badly broken and causing internal bleeding, there is risk of infection. So, I'd like her to stay a few days, so we can watch her closely. There is some medicine we can give her to try and prevent infection. It's newer than I'd like, so I wanted to ask your permission before giving it to her."

Fiyero and Elphaba agreed with little hesitation, and then the doctor informed them that it should only be another hour or so until they could go see Graiya in her room. Elphaba passed most of that time tending to Talissana and talking with Glinda. For his part, Fiyero took a seat beside Riordan and began to talk quietly with him.

"It might not seem like it to you, but Elphaba has missed you very much. She's not sure what to say to you. There is so much she wants to explain to you, but she isn't sure how."

"She mentioned that earlier. Once things have settled down, I will talk to her. Actually, I could use your opinion on something. I have a gift for Elphaba that I left at Glinda's house. It isn't new, but still, I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to buy her affection. It is very important to me that she have it, so after we talk things out, do you think...?"

"I'm sure she'll love it. She hated being angry at you... She isn't anymore. She just feels bad she overreacted, and those things she wants to tell you... They aren't things that are easy for her to talk about. Even I didn't know about them until very recently."

"Are... Are you sure she's ready to tell me? I wouldn't ask her to tell me anything she isn't ready to say."

"She's as ready as she'll ever be. Last night, before Graiya was... Well, Elphaba and I spent a very long time talking. She made up her mind then that she would tell you. And you know how Elphaba is once she's set her mind on something."

"I do," Riordan replied with a small smile. "I'm just so relieved she wants to talk to me. These last two weeks have dragged on. I never meant to hurt her feelings so deeply."

Fiyero sighed, but his face was calm. "At least once you've spoken to her, you'll understand why she was so hurt. You'll understand everything."

It was not until several hours later, after Elphaba had been able to visit with Graiya and make sure she was all right, that Elphaba and Riordan were able to find a reasonably quiet place to sit and talk. It was Riordan who broke the ice, because Elphaba wouldn't even look him in the eye, let alone say anything.

"Elphaba, whatever is on your mind, please tell me. Fiyero said... He told me earlier that you're ready to explain why I hurt you so deeply. I have wondered, but I won't ask you to say anything you aren't ready to say. Are you sure?"

"Positive." Elphaba spoke up immediately. "First of all, I have to tell you I'm sorry. I never should have gotten so angry. The girls have missed you... I've missed you. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. The reason I got so upset didn't even have anything to do with you. I feel so stupid that I overreacted, Papa."

Here, Riordan reached for Elphaba's hand, and was happy to have this gesture accepted. Elphaba began to speak again, softly at first, but her voice gained volume as she continued.

"Papa, I'm so sorry for those things I said. It's only been two weeks since we talked, and it feels like forever. Graiya was so distant with you yesterday. I'm afraid she's been taking her cue from me."

"I can't really blame either one of you," Riordan said with a sigh. "I want us to start again, and make things like they were before. Please, tell me whatever you want to. I want to understand just why I wounded you like I did."

"Papa, I reacted like I did when you accused me of trying to hurt Graiya because of something that happened a long time ago. I told you my father... the man I thought was my father, hated my magic. But it went further than that. He wanted everyone else to hate me for it too. I didn't care that much one way or the other about his opinions until... Until he started turning my sister against me. He had always favored her, saved all of his affection for her. I didn't resent her for it. I loved my sister, and as much as it was possible for her, she loved me in return. At least until Father told Nessa that she was stuck in a wheelchair because I'd put a spell on her."

Riordan gasped quietly and wanted to say something, but didn't dare interrupt Elphaba's tale. So he simply squeezed Elphaba's hand more tightly and waited for her to continue.

"At first I don't think Nessa believed him. She started acting differently around me, but I didn't know why. Finally, she told me what Father had said and asked me if it was true. Her disability had always been a source of great emotional pain for my sister. When she looked at me with all that torment in her eyes, I wanted to explain that it wasn't because of my magic, and what the real cause was. Instead, all I said was that the way she was was my fault. I didn't tell her why. I never did try to explain the reason, that it was because Father was afraid she'd be born green like me. So I think she started blaming it on my magic anyway. It was easier. She slowly became more and more like Father. She'd get angry and shame me so much I tried to ignore the things I could do. She never understood that I didn't want to hurt anyone with my magic. We became more and more distant from each other... At every turn we were driven further apart, and Nessa died before we ever had a chance to mend our relationship. It's the greatest regret of my life... I don't want that to happen to us, Papa. You can say that you don't think I could hurt Graiya... But you have to be telling me the truth. You have to honestly believe it. I couldn't do that, Papa. I couldn't."

"I know. I should never have accused you. I know you better than that. I'm sure it will take you time to forgive me, but please Elphaba, let me do something to help right now. You'll want to stay here with Graiya... I could take Stavna back to your house tonight and stay there with her. She and Olive will probably want to stick together, as usual. That way Travion and Glinda can stay here with you, too. And once Graiya is home, maybe we can have her birthday party early."

"She'd like that," Elphaba whispered faintly. "She was worried you might miss it."

"Never. I can't wait to give her her present. And actually, once you'd feel comfortable accepting it, I have something for you too." Riordan's voice was hesitant, awaiting Elphaba's angry reaction. Instead, she looked surprised and happy.

"Papa, you didn't have to do that. It's very sweet of you. I'll be home tonight, you can give it to me then. Did you want to come see Graiya for a few minutes before you take the other girls home?"

"I'd love to, but I think I should wait. She's still groggy and tired. I don't want to risk upsetting her. But as soon as she's ready, of course I'll come."

"All right," Elphaba agreed quietly. "I'm actually hoping she'll ask for you soon. She's missed you so much, and..."

"Elphaba, we're all still a family. With a little time, things will be fine. Don't worry about me. I'll be here to help with whatever you need."

"Thank you, Papa. The girls have missed you as much as I have, and it will be good for Stavna to be away from here until Aya is better. Are you sure you'll be all right for a few hours?"

"Of course. I'll see you tonight. Try to take a nap later... You look exhausted."

At that point, Riordan kissed Elphaba tenderly on the forehead, and after saying farewell to everyone else as well, went on his way to take Stavna and Olive home with him. Elphaba took a few minutes to walk around cradling Talissana in her arms before returning to Graiya's room. When she got there, Graiya was awake, but clearly not listening to whatever her father was trying to tell her. When Elphaba walked in, Graiya turned toward her and frowned.

"Mama, why can't I go home? I don't feel that bad, and it's cold in here. It smells so funny... I hate the smell, Mama."

"I know you don't want to be here," Elphaba soothed quietly. "I wish you didn't have to be. The doctor says you need to stay, so that's what you'll have to do, darling heart."

"Stavna doesn't like sleeping in our room by herself. It's getting late; She'll come say goodbye before she goes home, right?"

Elphaba nearly told Graiya the truth, that Stavna had gone home without saying goodbye. In the end, she chose to tell Graiya that Stavna would come in and see her soon. Then, she motioned for Fiyero to leave the room with her so they could talk privately.

"One of us needs to go home and bring Stavna back here. Papa just took her home, but I think... I think this is important. I shouldn't have let them leave so fast. I don't know why I didn't ask them to wait!"

"Ivy, this isn't your fault. We didn't even know Graiya would feel up to seeing anyone tonight. I'll go home and bring Stavna back. It will be fine, I think it will help both of them."

"I wish I didn't have to leave. I'm afraid to leave her here." Elphaba paused, looking through the tiny window in the hospital room door. Graiya lay there quietly, but Elphaba could see tears streaming down her face. She turned back to Fiyero looking ready to cry herself.

"Then don't go, Elphaba. I can take Stavna back home. Talissana can stay with you. I can come back first thing in the morning, and if Stavna doesn't feel up to coming back, she can stay with Riordan. It will work out. You stay here, I'll go get Stavna right now. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Graiya's tears eased only when her sister walked into the room. Following a cautiioning from her mother to take off her shoes, Stavna was allowed to climb up onto the bed beside Graiya. They snuggled close together as Stavna spoke in a whisper.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make you better, Aya. I helped Papa find you, but that's all."

"You helped save my life," Graiya stated simply. "Try not to be too scared when you're alone in our room. Nothing can hurt you. Papa can scare the monsters away for you until I come home."

"It will be better if we can keep the bad things away from you, Aya. Those people are like monsters too, right? Aren't you scared they'll hurt you more?"

"Sometimes. But I'm safe here, and maybe after I'm better we can go visit Nan and Poppy. They always like to see us in the summer."

Stavna smiled brightly. "That would be great! we can play in the garden all day & try to catch butterflies again. I remember the butterflies." Stavna yawned and moved closer to her sister, who began to soothe her by running one hand through her hair.

"Can I fall asleep here?" Stavna asked this of noone in particular, but Graiya replied anyway.

"Yes. I'm so glad you came. It makes me feel better."

"Welcome," Stavna muttered, already half asleep. Not ten minutes later, both siblings were sleeping soundly, protectively close together. Fiyero and Elphaba watched then quietly for a short time before Fiyero carefully picked Stavna up to take her home.

Late that night, Elphaba was alone with Graiya and Talissana in the dim hospital room. Elphaba didn't take long to start wishing she had someone to talk to. Both of the children were sleeping peacefully, which was a blessing. The quiet felt oppressive, almost like something alive. She wondered if Fiyero was asleep, or if he was still awake, worrying as she was. While Graiya seemed to be doing well for the time being, the possibility of infection and the accompanying fever loomed in Elphaba's mind. She reached for Graiya's hand and was squeezing it gently when the door to the little room opened.

"How is she?" Riordaan nearly whispered this, and still it startled Elphaba slightly.

"Oh...Papa. She's fine right now. She's been sleeping for a while. It's been so quiet. Too quiet."

"I thought you might be lonely," Riordan said with a small smile. "So I decided to come back. Hasn't Glinda come in to keep you company at all?"

"For a while, earlier. She said she was tired. I thought she and Travion went home."

Riordan shook his head. "They're both still sitting out there. They did look half-asleep, though. I could probably convince them to come with me when I leave. But will you be all right here alone?"

"I'll be fine, but thank you for asking. What is that you've brought?" She gestured toward a large box he carried under one arm.

"The present I promised you. I hope you don't mind. It's important, I wanted to wait until we could have time to ourselves."

Elphaba watched Graiya's sleeping face as she replied. "Papa... please don't think I'm still angry... But I'm not sure now is the time. It's been such a day. I'm tired and worried. And I still wonder if in the back of your mind, you worry about the things I can do."

"No, Elphaba. That's exactly why I brought this." He held out the box to her. "Please open it, I will explain."

Elphaba hesitantly took his offering, rested it on her knees, and slowly lifted the lid. As soon as she folded back the tissue paper, the deep purple fabric captured all of her attention. It reminded her instantly of her wedding dress, which made her smile. She carefully took the garment from the box. Seeing that it was a floor-length hooded cloak, she gasped.

"Papa... it's gorgeous. Where did you ever find something like this?"

"It was my mother's," he replied solemnly. "After she died, many of her possessions came to me. I kept this because though it is something Glinda would enjoy, she never had the magical talent my mother would think was required in order to earn the right to wear it. And so I'm giving it to you. She'd be happy, it makes me happy too. Even she would be impressed by you, Elphaba."

"Your mother had magical talent, too? Why didn't you tell me before? You weren't ashamed of her were you?"

"Oh, no. I always thought magic was normal, and until I got to school I thought everyone's mother was like mine. She was an amazing person. Like I told you before, she would invite all kinds of people into our house out of kindness. She had a bit of healing magic, and she used it to make remedies she'd give to anyone who was ill. She could also alter the weather sometimes. I know your experience with that, but my mother used it mostly to make sure it never rained on our outdoor parties. I can remember times I'd be in our yard in the bright sunshine, watching it rain at our neighbor's house. It made me laugh. People got used to her ways. Since this was before the Wizard arrived in the city, things were different. Most people were very tolerant. I don't remember my mother ever being harassed or called names. She was very proud of the things she could do. I imagine I was a great disappointment though. Her only child, and not even a dash of magic anywhere in me."

"Papa, that isn't your fault. I'm so glad you told me about your mother. You got angry at me because I made you think of her, and then you thought I wasn't a good person like she was... Isn't that right?"

"I... I guess it is," Riordan whispered with a look of surprise. "I didn't even realize that was why I reacted like I did. I'm so sorry, Elphaba. You look exhausted. I can stay a while and watch over Graiya for you. You need rest."

"I do. As long as you promise to wake me up if Graiya does, I can nap for a while."

"Of course. Go on, I'll take care of things."

"But you said you wanted to make sure Glinda and Travion got home, so..."

Riordan laughed softly to himself. "Stop trying to find ways to put off getting some rest, Elphaba. I will manage. Graiya will be fine with me, and I'll tell Glinda to go on home without me. Now sleep."

By the time Elphaba awakened, it was nearly dawn. Talissana slept on nearby in a bassinet borrowed from the nursery. As usual, Elphaba was completely awake almost immediately. She frowned when she saw the expression on Riordan's face.

"Papa... How is she?"

"Still sleeping... But she feels warm... It will probably turn into a fever soon. I thought they were already giving her something to prevent infection."

"They are. Maybe it just wasn't enough." Elphaba stood and walked to her daughter's bedside, resting a hand ion her cheek. "Graiya... Graiya, wake up for just a minute. Wake up, darling heart."

Elphaba stood there gently stroking Graiya's cheek until the child opened her eyes. As usual, the first thing Graiya did upon seeing her mother's face was smile.

"Is it time to get up already?" Graiya's voice was groggy, but she didn't seem disoriented or frightened. "I was sleeping so good."

"I'm sorry. I just want to know how you feel. Grandpapa says he thinks you're getting a fever. Are you warm?" Elphaba was resting one hand on Graiya's forehead and already knew the answer was yes, but she seemed to need to hear Graiya answer for herself.

"A little," Graiya admitted. "I know you'll stay and take care of me, Mama... But if it gets worse, promise me you won't try the magic again. You're still so tired from having the baby. You'll get sick." Grauya fixed her sleepy yet intense gaze on her mother. "Promise me, Mama."


	14. Chapter 12

Author's Note: I know it's been a long time since I updated. The delay was unplanned. But, I am intending to keep this story on the front burner from now until it is finished. Hopefully this chapter will make up for my long absence. Enjoy! I look forward to your reviews. :)

Chapter 12

Elphaba held her daughter's gaze as she replied, her voice quiet and the slightest bit shaky. "Aya, I can't make you that promise. I know how much you want me to, but if I end up being the only one who can help you, I'd have to try. I couldn't just sit here and let you... Can you understand that, Graiya?"

"Yes. I'd do that for you if you were that sick, if I were strong enough. But Mama, at least promise you'll be careful." Graiya suddenly burst into tears. "That time I helped you, I wasn't careful... It felt like I was dying. I don't want that to happen to you!"

"I know," Elphaba soothed. "You really have to calm down now, Aya. I'll be here when you wake up. You need more sleep."

"Graiya was still sniffling, but she nodded and tried her best to go back to sleep. Elphaba walked away from the bed to go take care of Talissana, who began to cry as she awakened. Graiya turned over to face her grandfather, reaching out to hold his hand.

"I'm happy you're here," she mumbled sleepily. "You and Mama aren't fighting anymore. Did she hug you when you made up? You give really good hugs."

Riordan smiled gently. "I'm glad you think so. You're right, we aren't fighting anymore. I'm so sorry I hurt your feelings, too. You should sleep. We can talk about it later, Aya."

"Will you stay and keep holding my hand?" Graiya whispered, her eyes suddenly filling with tears again. "I really don't feel good, Grandpapa."'

"Of course I will. When you wake up I'll be right here. Don't cry, darling. It will only make things worse. Sleep now."

Riordan stayed by Graiya's bedside for the entire time just as he promised. The hours passed slowly, and eventually everyone in the small hospital room was asleep. Elphaba woke once or twice to tend to Talissana and make sure Graiya was resting, but that was all. Travion returned in the evening, without his wife. Elphaba promptly asked him about this.

"I thought she would be back early... Maybe even take the day off. Graiya developed a full-blown fever today, and..."

Travion frowned deeply as he replied. "I'm sorry... I can stay, if there is something I can do to help. But when I got up Glinda had already left the house. There was no note, and the servants didn't know anything other than that she left extremely early for work. I'm sorry... This isn't like her."

"Yes it is," Elphaba said with a touch of bitterness. "She gets frightened... But this isn't about her, or even me. It's about my children. I can stay here with Riordan and take care of Graiya just like I have been. But Stavna needs someone to look after her. Fiyero needs to go to work, and it isn't fair to ask him to take her along every day."

"Elphaba, I will tell Fiyero he can bring Stavna with him to work for as long as necessary. That way we will both be there. She never gets in the way, and she makes the day go faster. It will be fine, I promise."

Elphaba sighed with relief. "Thank you, Travion. I know it will make things more difficult in some ways, but I have to think of the children first. I know that Graiya may need a lot of help to even survive... I'm not fooling myself about that. I was just hoping Glinda would be here to help, somehow. She is my best friend..."

Elphaba trailed off as Graiya called out to her from her bed. Travion waited patiently, watching their interaction. When he saw the way Graiya's eyes were dimmed by her high fever, he felt his body tense with anger. At his first opportunity, he would speak to Glinda about her thoughtless, cowardly behavior. To his surprise, Graiya fixed her eyes on his face... and smiled.

"Hi, Uncle Travion. I was hoping you and Aunt Glinda would come back."

Travion forced himself to return Graiya's smile as he gently brushed the damp hair from her forehead. "I just came to say hello. Aunt Glinda will be here later to keep you company, okay?"

Graiya nodded but made no reply. She shifted uncomfortably in the bed and turned her gaze to her mother, who was already standing beside the bed with the bottle of oil in one hand.

"I'm so warm, Mama. So warm..."

"I know, darling heart. I'm sorry. I'll try not to make it any more painful."

Travion remained with his family until Graiya was more comfortable again and had drifted off. "I will talk to Glinda later today, Elphaba. If I must, I will insist she come back here. It's only right. She isn't a child, I refuse to coddle her."

That night, everyone save for Glinda eventually showed up at the hospital. Fiyero and Stavna arrived together, though Stavna remained only briefly, going home with her grandfather instead. Travion and Olive came soon after, and everyone was surprised when the younger girl insisted on staying by her cousin's bedside. While both she and Fiyero remained there, Elphaba and Travion stepped outside to talk.

"Glinda told me to tell you she will be back here soon. We had quite a discussion earlier, she wasn't very happy with me. I think she's waiting to come back until the two of you will have time to talk. Do you feel up to waiting for her? You're exhausted."

"I'm doing all right. And now that Fiyero is here, I can rest a little. As long as you promise to wake me when Glinda gets here."

"Of course. Will you mind if Olive stays a while? She really wanted to come with me tonight. I think staying away from the hospital made her worry more."

"She can stay as long as she wants. Aya won't really know you're there, at least most of the time... But I'm glad you both came." At this point, they returned to Graiya's room. Travion, Fiyero and Olive all stood near Graiya's bed and talked quietly, while Elphaba took a seat in a chair in a corner of the room to have a much-needed nap.

By the time Travion roused Elphaba from slumber, it was late, well past darkfall. Olive was no longer in the room, but Fiyero had remained. And, at last, Glinda had arrived. When Elphaba met her gaze, she looked away, whispering something to Travion. Without a word, both of the gentlemen departed, leaving the two friends in the room with Graiya and the baby, who both slept on.

"It's late... I thought you'd be here hours ago, Glinda."

Glinda closed her eyes and sighed. "Please, Elphie, don't you start too. Travion gave me enough of an earful when I got home from work. I know I should have come sooner, but I'm here now." She levelled a calm gaze on her friend "Doesn't that count for something?"

"Of course it does," Elphaba whispered, backing off a little. "Travion let me sleep until you got here." Elphaba glanced at the elder of her two sleeping daughters. "She doesn't look any better. Have you...?"

"I haven't tried anything yet." Here Glinda gestured to the Grimmerie, which she had put down beside Graiya's bed. "I was waiting to make sure you wanted me to do it. Does she seem the same as she was when you were awake earlier?"

Elphaba nodded sadly. "No worse, but no better. That medicine the doctors are giving her isn't helping. If there is something you want to try, you can. I'm surprised you're here... I really didn't think you'd come."

Glinda pressed her lips into a thin line, but made no reply. After a moment, she picked up the Grimmerie from the bedside table. She studied it briefly, then began to quietly speak the words of a spell Elphaba had never heard before. Almost before Glinda spoke the last word of the spell, Graiya turned over in her bed and sighed, still fast asleep. The relief on her face was obvious, and the feeling was mirrored on the faces of her mother and aunt.

After another moment or two, Glinda and Elphaba each took a seat, taking the opportunity to converse while things were quiet. Glinda brought up the subject of her late arrival without any prompting from her friend.

"I almost didn't come back here today," she began, unable to meet Elphaba's eyes. "After the things Travion said to me, I was very upset... Mostly because I knew he was right. I knew Aya would need help... And that you would want me here. But it was only when I started thinking about what you might do if Graiya took a turn for the worse that I knew I had to come. You didn't... Did you?"

"No, but i would have She's so young, she still has so many things she wants to do. Did you know she's already started talking about what she wants to study at university? That is, if we can even send her there and have her be safe."

"She'll go, even if I have to protect her myself," Glinda said, her voice suddenly very harsh and determined. "Sometimes I wish that Graiya knew how to handle things like you used to, Elphie. But she's never been like you that way. Her life has been so different from yours, until now."

"If we didn't all love her so much, maybe she would be more like me. I was so determined to make that part of her growing up different from mine, and now... Maybe it really is because of me that all of this has happened to Graiya. If I had spent more time teaching her how to deal with people when they started picking on her..."

"Elphie, no one expected Aya to have to deal with bullies that like to beat up little girls. For everything you went through, no one ever did that to you. There is no way we could have been preapred."

"Yes there was. It did happen to me... Only once, and it wasn't as serious as what Aya is going through." Elphaba looked down to stare intently at her hands folded in her lap. Her next words were barely audible. "I was about two years older than Aya when it happened to me. I was in the hospital overnight. The nanny we had took me there, and then she left because my sister was at home. I didn't see Father the whole time, but just before visiting hours were over, Nessa came to see me. I never knew how she got there. I was so surprised to see her. By then she believed everything Father told her about me... I don't even think she liked me anymore. But she came, and she started crying. To this day I don't know whether the tears were for herself because she was afraid I wouldn't be able to take care of her for a while, or for me. We never talked about it again. The only other thing I remember is that the doctors wouldn't even touch me. They put me in a room and left me. The other patient in my room was an Animal, I don't remember what kind. But their mother was the one that took care of me."

"Elphie... You've never told anyone about that before, have you?"

"No. Like I said, my family never mentioned it again. The whole thing seemed like some kind of bad dream after a while, not something that really happened. Things have gone too far for it to be like that for Aya. I could have prevented it. I should have known what was happening. I never sensed a thing."

By now, Elphaba's voice had grown angry, steadily rising in volume. Glinda listened quietly, and after a moment offered the most comforting words she could think of.

"Elphie, haven't you learned yet that not everything is your fault? You don't rely on your visions to tell you things. You simply didn't know. And Aya kept things from you deliberately. I'm not saying she should have, but she did do it out of love. She hates making you sad. Now, all we can do is take care of her and hope she's better soon. I brought something that might help."

Glinda rose from her chair and stepped just outside the door to fetch what she had brought. Elphaba recognized it immediately, as Glinda spoke.

"I had to go to your house to get this, but I didn't think you'd mind."

As Elphaba covered her daughter with the quilt that had been a gift from Taliesin, she shook her head. "Aya has always liked to snuggle under this when she's sick. You remembered."

"Of course I did. You look so tired, Elphie. Why don't you rest? I can wake you up if Aya asks for you."

"I promised her I'd stay here until she woke up. She doesn't like it here, she gets frightened."

"No one likes hospitals, Elphie. But wearing yourself out won't help anyone. Please, just rest for a while. I can manage. I see it in your eyes, the pain..."

Elphaba wanted to argue the point further, but in the end she went to the chair in the corner of the room to settle in for a nap. Only once Elphaba was resting comfortably could Glinda turn all of her attention to her sleeping niece. Despite the spell Glinda had cast the previous day, there were signs that Graiya was once again hovering on the edge of a fever.

For several days, Graiya was consumed by fever. On the third day that passed in this way, she took a marked turn for the worse, her temperature spiking higher than Elphaba could bear to think about. They were alone now, since everyone else was either off at work or, in Olive's case, home with a nanny.

Though she expected no response by this time, Elphaba approached Graiya's bed and gently took her hand, speaking in a whisper.

"Aya, can you hear me? I know you don't feel good, and you're very tired. But if you're still awake, please open your eyes."

Very slowly, Graiya did as her mother asked. The child's eyes were unfocused and a bit glassy at first, but as she became aware that someone was holding her hand, her vision became clearer and she turned her head, looking for her visitor.

"Mama, is that you?" Graiya's tone was uncertain, her voice hoarse from the days of illness. "I feel so hot. My skin burns..."

"I know, I'm sorry." Elphaba replied softly. "I've been doing almost everything I can, so have the doctors. You aren't getting any better. I'm not ready to let you go yet, Aya. But there is only one thing left for me to do. If you don't want me to, I won't."

Graiya laid very still, gazing at her mother for several very long minutes. There were so many things she wanted to say, but knew her voice would not hold up long enough to say them. Instead, she chose her few words carefully, saying them slowly so she wouldn't make herself any more tired.

"I want to stay with you, Mama. But what if... What if it hurts you? I don't want you to be sick anymore."

"I know. But if it makes you well, it will be worth it. I always get better, so...' Elphaba trailed off as Graiya was suddenly unable to breathe. Knowing there was no more time for words, except for those of a spell, Elphaba began speaking these almost without thinking about what the right words to say were.

Elphaba stopped speaking the words of the spell only once it became nearly impossible for her to breathe herself. As her mother's strength ebbed away, Graiya's returned. The child's fever even disappeared in a blink. As Aya sat up in her bed, she saw her mother crumple to the floor. The little girl quickly got out of bed to kneel at her mother's side.

"Mama, please get up!" Graiya cried, bursting into tears. "I can try to help you... but please get up!" Graiya could see her pleading was getting her nowhere. Elphaba remained immoble on the floor, her eyes closed, her breathing nearly imperceptible. Knowing she was too small to be enough help, Aya did the only thing she could think of, and ran out into the hall to find a nurse or doctor to come to her mother's aid.

It was quite some time later that Elphaba was settled into a bed as comfortably as possible. Graiya sat quietly in a corner for most of that time, only rising from her seat when her newborn sister began to wail. She walked over and picked the baby up, silently hoping she wasn't hungry. As Graiya cuddled the baby close, she tried her best to do the things she's seen her mother do to make the baby stop crying. Talissana's cries eased, but did not stop. Graiya looked longingly in her mother's direction, knowing she was in no position to help.

"I'm sorry I'm not Mama," Graiya whispered sadly. "But maybe Papa will be here soon. He can make things all better."

When Fiyero arrived a short time later and saw Graiya was doing so well, it wasn't hard for him to tell what had happened. At first, he simply stood at Elphaba's bedside, hoping she could sense that he was there. She seemed to be in such pain that he didn't dare touch her, for fear she was actually still conscious, and would scream out loud.

Seeing the anger and sadness in her father's face, Graiya hesitated to speak or even get too close. Instead, she tended to her little sister, who by now was desparately in need of things Graiya herself could not help with. Therefore, she was relieved when her aunt arrived not much later.

"Aunt Glinda, Talissana is hungry. I guess we could ask the people in the nursery for help, but I..."

"You don't need to stay here, Aya. Uncle Travion is outside in the waiting room. Would you like to come home with us? Stavna is there waiting for us, and we can all help take care of Talissana. That way your Papa can stay here, and let us know when it's a better time to come back."

"Okay," Graiya agreed, tears coming to her eyes. At last, she dared to approach her father. She slipped one hand into his and leaned against his side. She felt his body tense at her touch, and was very afraid to say anything. But the little girl knew she couldn't go without asking her question.

"Papa, are you mad at me? Mama was asking me if I'd let her use the magic or not, and then I couldn't breathe. I had told her I wanted to stay here with her, so she... You are mad, aren't you?"

Fiyero did not look down at his daughter's bowed head as he replied. He stood straight, his body so tense all of his muscles ached. He didn't take his eyes from his wife's face.

"You knew better than to tell her yes. She's been so weak already since the baby came. Everything can't be about you, Graiya. You should have thought about your mother!"

Graiya began to weep openly. "I did! I said I didn't want her to get any sicker, and she said it would be worth it if she could save me. That she would get better! Then I couldn't even breathe. I was so scared, and she was the only one... She saved me, like before!"

"She isn't always going to be here to save you. Are you not going to be satisfied until she dies because of you?? Is that it?"

Graiya was now crying so hard she couldn't even manage a reply. Glinda stepped forward, cradling Talissana in her arms. "Fiyero, that's enough! I think it might be better if no one tries to talk to you right now. I'm taking your children home with me. When you're ready to act decent, you can let me know."

Glinda quietly left the room with the children. As the door closed behind them, Talissana began to wail again. This at last caused Fiyero to look up, as if he were having second thoughts and wanted to call them back. He kept silent until they were out of earshot, fearing that Aya would be too hurt to listen to him yet. As she had every right to be.


	15. Chapter 13

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I look forward to your reviews; they're very encouraging. I plan to update again soon! This chapter is dedicated to my friends Dee and Erin.

Chapter 13

Nearly the next two weeks passed before Elphaba was well enough to leave the hospital. It was strange for everyone that she was being taken care of there rather than at home. The entire family, including Fiyero's parents, came to visit at least once during that time. Graiya alone visited only once, standing silently beside her mother's bed, not daring to speak or try to hold her mama's hand... Especially not with her papa watching. Fiyero had tried to reassure his daughter that he wasn't angry anymore, but Graiya's reaction was to walk out of the room. After that, she had remained in the waiting room while everyone else paid their visits.

But today, at last, Elphaba was coming home. The children had awakened early and were given the good news by Glinda. Graiya, Stavna and Olive left their breakfasts nearly untouched, rising as one from the table to hurry off and make little welcome home gifts.

Olive and Stavna were soon hard at work on an art project. Graiya sat on the bed she and Stavna had been sharing while staying at their aunt's house. She watched for quite a long time before Stavna looked her way and frowned.

"Aya, don't you want to make a present too? It will make Mama happy."

Graiya simply shook her head and turned away, reaching for a book she had left beside the bed. She had opened it and begun to read when Stavna sat down beside her and spoke in a whisper, her head bowed as if she'd just been punished for misbehaving.

"Graiya, why don't you ever talk to me anymore? Did I make you mad at me?" Stavna glanced over furtively, just in time to see Graiya close her book and shake her head. Stavna's frown deepened.

"Then what's wrong? You hardly even talk to Grandpapa anymore, or Aunt Glinda. You always tell them things. I know you miss Mama, but she'll be sad if you won't talk to her when she gets here. She'll be here soon. Aren't you happy she's coming back?"

Graiya made no reply, simply reopened her book and resumed her reading. Stavna looked ready to cry, but Olive scowled and spoke up. "Just let her be. If she would rather read, we can make a really good present all by ourselves. I bet she hasn't even really missed Aunt Elphie, and that's why she won't help us."

Stavna returned to her place beside her cousin, but looked at her crossly. "Livie, that's a mean thing to say!"

"Well, I bet it's true! She hardly went to visit, don't you think that's weird? I'm surprised Uncle Fiyero didn't get so mad he yelled at her. She'd deserve it!"

Before Olive could go on, Graiya threw her book to the floor and collapsed to her pillow face-down, bursting into tears. Her sobs were so loud Olive immediately regretted her words, and went to her cousin's side.

"I'm sorry, Aya," Olive began, hoping the older girl could hear her over her tears. "Don't cry, okay? It must hurt. Just come help us, you can make anything you want. Aunt Elphie will be sad if you don't make her a present too."

Graiya's tears took some time to pass, put when they did she spoke at last. "Papa won't want me to come out and see Mama when she gets here anyway. It doesn't matter if I make her a present."

"Yes it does, Aya," Olive said, clearly confused. "Why would you say that?"

Stavna gave her sister a look that said she knew what was going on, and Graiya had no doubt her little sister had read her mind.

"It's Papa's fault. He's angry..." Tears suddenly came to Stavna's eyes. "Aya thinks he hates her."

Graiya looked down, but nodded slightly. Stavna went on, since Olive was too surprised to say anything. "That's not true, Graiya. Papa could never hate you... If you talk to Papa, he'll say he's sorry. I know it!"

"I don't want to talk to him. He was right to be angry... I shouldn't have told Mama it was all right if she helped me. I shouldn't have said it!" Graiya began to cry again, burying her face in her pillow once more. Stavna and Olive watched quietly, confused and frightened. They were both relieved when Glinda entered the room and, without taking up any time by asking what had happened, went to Graiya's side. Once there, she reached down to lift Graiya into her arms. Only then, after Graiya's head was resting on her shoulder, did Glinda ask what the matter was.

Graiya tried to volunteer an answer and found her voice refused to work. In a small voice, Stavna replied on her sister's behalf, starting to cry again herself.

"Aya thinks Papa hates her... that he's still mad because she asked Mama to help her get better. That's right, isn't it Aya? Mama saved your life. That's what made her sick."

Aya turned her tear-streaked face in the direction of her sister and cousin, managing only the slightest nod. Glinda held Aya close until her tears eased, then put her down so they could look each other in the eye. She called the two younger girls close as well, wanting to make sure they paid attention to what she was about to say.

"What happened isn't Graiya's fault. It isn't anyone's fault." Here, Glinda turned her attention to her eldest niece alone. "Aya, your mother made a choice to do what she did. If I'd been in her place, if it had been Olive, I would have done the same thing. She couldn't stand by and let you die. She wasn't thinking about herself."

"But Aunt Glinda," Graiya whispered, tears still in her eyes, "Mama could have died. How would that not be my fault? And Papa... He'd never forgive me!"

"Your papa was so upset because he was scared. If your mama... if that had happened, then your papa would have been very glad to still have all three of you girls to love. But your mama is better now, she'll be here in just a few minutes. If you aren't ready to talk to your father, I won't force you. But your mother will want to see you. You know that, Aya."

"Yes, I do," Graiya replied, sounding very adult. "Will she really be here that soon? I haven't even started making her little present."

Stavna and Olive reminded Graiya that theirs weren't ready either. Glinda stayed there and helped all three of them get their gifts prepared. They were all ready just as Elphaba arrived, and the two younger girls rushed out to greet her. Graiya hesitated, wanting to remain behind.

"Aya, your mother is waiting to see you. Come on, now." Glinda said this with just a touch of sternness, but considering Graiya's emotional state, it was more than the child needed to motivate her. She stepped out of the bedroom with her small gift in her hands. She watched for a few moments as her sister and cousin cuddled close to Elphaba, chattering away as they showed her the surprises they had made. Elphaba listened attentively, somehow managing to effortlessly divide her attention between the two older girls and her newborn, who was cradled in her arms. Elphaba met Graiya's eyes, and instantly seemed troubled by something. Glinda saw the look on Elphaba's face and immediately suggested to Avna and Olive that they go out to play. Surprisingly, they eagerly took this advice. Only once they had gone did Elphaba speak to her oldest child.

"Graiya, come sit next to me," she said gently. Graiya expected her to say more, but for now that was all her mother had to say. Slowly, as if expecting some creature to leap out and bite her, Graiya approached the couch where her mother waited, taking a seat beside her.

Elphaba felt sure she could guess the first thing her daughter would say, but she couldn't have been more wrong. Aya would not look at her as she spoke.

"Where is Papa? Is he here?"

"Yes, but he's busy helping Uncle Travion with something." Elphaba made her tone as gentle as possible, sensing that something was very wrong, but not wanting to push her child into telling her something she wasn't ready to say. "Aren't you going to show me what you've got there?"

Graiya shrugged, seeming embarrassed by the small handmade gift. "They were the other kids' idea. Livie showed me how to fold the paper up to look like a bird." Graiya held the object out to her mother, who happily took it. Then, Elphaba decided to let her daughter lead the conversation, hoping for a good opportunity to ask a gentle question or two.

"t's really a silly present, Mama. But I'm so glad you're home. I missed you. You aren't still in a lot of pain, are you? You're so good at hiding it, I can't tell."

"I missed you too, darling heart. And I promise I'm feeling very well. I'm happy to be back. Did you have a good time staying here with your aunt and uncle?"

"It was okay. Avna always wanted me to sleep right next to her because she was scared. It made things really cramped, but I didn't mind that much. She got up a few nights and went to sing to the baby. It sounded pretty. I wish I could do nice things like that, instead of always making things..."

Graiya's eyes grew wide as she caught herself before she said too much. Elphaba watched her child's face and wondered what she would say instead. But Graiya sat quietly, looking down at her hands in her lap. She was trying very hard not to cry. Elphaba actually wished she could see into her daughter's mind at this moment, so she would know what was wrong without having to ask. But she forced herself to resist doing this... She was willing to wait as long as it took for Graiya to open up to her.

"Always making things what, Aya?"

"Messed up." This was all Graiya would volunteer, but at last the little girl looked her mother in the eye, her own red-rimmed eyes begging her to understand what she meant without having to say it out loud. Elphaba took her daughter's hand as she spoke now.

"You mean because of what happened to me. Because I got sick." Graiya sighed with relief at being understood, and nodded. At last, she cuddled close to her mother, which she had wanted to do from the moment she came into the room.

"Aya, my choices are not your fault. I told you I would get better, and I have. It took longer than usual, but I have no regrets. What I did saved your life. That's all that matters."

Graiya was about to reply when her father quietly entered the room. Without a word of explanation, the little girl scrambled out of her comfortable spot beside her mother and ran to her room. Elphaba was puzzled, but only slightly. Seeing the stricken look on Fiyero's face as their daughter fled, and remembering the first thing Graiya had said to her, Elphaba thought she knew quite well what must have happened. She looked her husband in the eye, already feeling anger growing in the pit of her stomach.

"What did you say to her?" This was all Elphaba actually asked, but in her tone, Fiyero heard all the angry words she wanted to say but didn't. He was actually a little afraid of making her angry at him, because he didn't know what might happen. He hadn't done anything that would make her truly furious in a very long time. To his credit, it didn't even occur to him to lie, or to soften the facts of what he had said. He knew he had to tell... and Fiyero seemed relieved to get things out in the open, since it would be his first opportunity to offer an apology to anyone involved.

"When I got to the hospital that day, after you had used the spell to save Graiya's life, no one had to tell me what happened. I knew. I was so afraid when I saw you lying there, I was sure you were going to die. I spoke without stopping to think first, but I know that's no excuse. Graiya was telling me that the two of you had talked about whether you would use the magic or not... That she wanted you to save her. She was afraid she was about to die, too. Then I looked at her and I... I said that everything couldn't always be about her. Then I asked... I asked her if she wasn't going to be satisfied until she killed you. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wanted to take them back. But Glinda rushed Graiya out of the room because she was so upset. Since then neither of them will talk to me. I've tried to say I'm sorry, to talk to Graiya and make her understand. But every time I get too close she runs away, just like now. I didn't mean it, Ivy. I'm so sorry."

Much to Fiyero's surprise, his wife sat calmly, and not only because she was still holding Talissana in her arms. He saw Elphaba watching him, studying his face to read his emotions... and probably his mind. That was all right, though. Because all he could think about was how sorry he was, and that his daughter might never speak to him again. Might never love him again.

"She doesn't hate you," Elphaba said at last, and Fiyero gazed at her, simply relieved he wasn't being yelled at. Yet.

"She's hurt, and scared. She thinks it's you that hates her. All because she's simply alive." Now, Elphaba's voice took on the angry tone he had been expecting to hear. "Would you rather I had let her die, instead? She _was_ dying, Fiyero. She couldn't breathe. I saw her looking at me, begging me with her eyes to please help her. I couldn't just stand there!"

Elphaba levelled her gaze on her husband, not giving him time to reply. Her voice turned positively icy, leaving Fiyero to fight his own urge to flee the room. "How is it perfectly fine, and you're so grateful to me that I saved your life once, and then, when I was faced with saving our DAUGHTER'S life, you can say things like that?? Explain that to me!"

Fiyero hesitated to begin, unsure of how to do it. "Ivy... When you helped me, you weren't under a curse like you are now. That changed everything."

"For you, maybe," Elphaba replied sharply. "But all my life I've tried so hard to take care of my family, my friends. The curse couldn't change that. Not ever. I won't say I didn't think about it, but that was only because Aya was afraid. It wouldn't have changed my decision. And then you have the nerve to blame our little girl that way. How dare you!"

Fiyero opened his mouth to reply a couple of different times, only to close it again. After letting the uncomfortable silence stretch out for another minute or so, Elphaba went on.

"I want to take the children for their summer visit to see their grandparents. Graiya's birthday is only a week and a half away, and of course you shouldn't miss it. But I think some time away from here will do us some good. We'll be gone a few weeks, probably. I'll let you know when you come for Aya's birthday which day we'll be back."

"Wait a minute!" Fiyero cried, finding his voice again. "I know you're angry, and Graiya is upset. But what will keeping the children away from me accomplish? If I can't even talk to any of you, how can I make anything better? You aren't being fair!"

"I'M not being fair?? Maybe you should have thought about what was fair before you said those horrible things to our child! She's not ready to talk to you right now, and I won't force her to. With some time away where we can talk, I can help her feel ready to let you be close to her again. I won't lie and say I'm not going to be angry at you for a while." Here, Elphaba's voice and expression softened, and she approached Fiyero, tenderly placing Talissana in his arms. "But I believe you when you say you're sorry and didn't mean it. Aya needs time, though... and so do I. I never thought you could say something so cruel to any of us. Can you understand that?"

"Yes," Fiyero replied immediately. "If it's what you think is best, you should go. But I will be there for Aya's birthday. And please... Please don't let the girls think you won't be coming home."

"I wouldn't do that," Elphaba said quietly. "That never crossed my mind. I won't leave right away... It will be nice to spend a few days at home, get to sleep in our own bed. It will give the girls and I time to pack and send a message ahead to your parents that we're coming."

"You've never taken the vacation there without me," Fiyero whispered sadly, forcing himself to look his wife in the eye as he spoke. "What will you tell them about that?"

"I'll tell them the truth," Elphaba replied immediately. "I'm hoping they can help Graiya understand that you didn't really mean what you said. As soon as I saw her when I got here, I knew something was wrong. The look in her eyes was so... wounded."

"Elphaba, please don't say things like that." At this point Fiyero carefully returned Talissana to her mother's arms. "I know I deserve it, but I feel badly enough. I'd really like to go home now, spend time with the girls... Stavna and the baby, at least. Okay?"

"You don't have to ask my permission," Elphaba whispered, realizing the situation was worse than she had imagined. "You're right as far as Aya is concerned... She isn't ready. But I'm sure Avna has missed you. And you've hardly had a chance to bond with the baby yet."

"And if you're taking her away from home for who knows how long, I won't get any further with that, will I?"

"It will only be a few weeks. Tali won't even be two months old yet. She'll always know you as her father. I promise, it will be fine."

"I don't want you to go," Fiyero replied, his voice so faint that it was almost possible for Elphaba to convince herself she had imagined the words.

* * *

By the end of the first week Elphaba was home from the hospital, she and the children were ready to set out for the castle in the Vinkus. At first, the two older girls were excited at the prospect of their yearly vacation. But once they knew their father wouldn't be coming, everything was different.

Graiya grew even quieter than before. Stavna, however, protested more loudly with each passing day, complete with tears that wrenched Elphaba's heart every time she heard them.

"Please, Mama," Stavna was saying now, her voice strained and hoarse from so much crying. "I don't want to go without Papa. I can stay here with him. I promise I'll be good. I promise!"

"I know you'll be good," Elphaba replied. "But Papa will be very busy working. You'll see him very soon, at Aya's birthday party. Okay?"

Stavna began shaking her head vigorously. "Papa likes it when I'm at his job with him!" she cried. "Please, Mama. I don't want to go!" Stavna wanted to go on, but her words were lost in a painful bout of coughing and hiccuping brought on by her tears.

Elphaba was now alarmed by Stavna's emotional state, and though she was hesitant to temporarily splinter the family any further, she knew the time had come to consider it. After taking time to soothe Avna's tears and hug her tightly, Elphaba went in search of her husband, whom she found outside tending the abundant ivy that covered the house. He had been doing a lot of that lately. Elphaba didn't even have to try reading his mind to guess why.

"Fiyero?" Elphaba began, more hesitantly than she intended. The sound of her voice still made her husband jump slightly, interrupting his intense focus on his gardening. His only response was to look up. Elphaba stammered slightly as she went on.

"Stavna says... She still says she doesn't want to go with me. She wants to stay here with you."

"Like you'd let her do that," Fiyero spat. "Don't tease me, Elphaba. Aren't things bad enough already?"

"I'd let her stay," Elphaba countered calmly. "That is, if you want her to. But you'll be working so much, I thought..."

"You know she's always able to come to the shop. Travion and I both love having her there. Won't Graiya be lonely, though?"

"Probably a little. But it will make it easier for Graiya and I to have time to talk. By the time you and Stavna come for the party, maybe she will be ready to stay with us."

Fiyero wanted to ask if he might be allowed to stay then as well, but didn't dare. Instead, he only nodded, turning back to his work as he replied.

"We'll see about that, then. It would be fine if Stavna stayed with me. It will be nice to have one of the children with me." He abruptly changed the subject, but Elphaba was not surprised by the turn in the conversation.

"Has Graiya said anything today? Anything at all?"

"Not that I've heard, no. She's been in her room most of the day. Even Stavna hasn't been able to talk her into coming out."

"Do you think I should try saying something to her? I've wanted to for days anyway. Even if I have to talk to her through a closed door, it has to be better than nothing. You'll be leaving in the morning. I really don't want to let her leave without trying to talk to her once more. It probably won't do any good, but..."

"Try it," Elphaba said gently. "I know how sorry you are. I think she will need to hear you say that many times before she'll believe you."

Fiyero sighed and rose from his spot on the grass, telling Elphaba he was going inside to clean up before talking to Graiya. Elphaba returned to the kitchen where Stavna was waiting for her.

"Papa says he'd be happy to have you stay here with him," she told the child without preface. For a moment, Stavna's face lit up with joy, but quickly dimmed again.

"You won't be mad if I stay, will you Mama? I want to go see Nan and Poppy, but..."

"I won't be angry at all," Elphaba assured her. From her place in the kitchen, she heard Fiyero begin knocking on the girls' bedroom door, and she immediately looked worried.

* * *

For several minutes, there was no response at all from inside the bedroom. Fiyero waited patiently, only repeating his knock once. After this second attempt, he spoke softly, knowing that if Graiya was awake, she would be listening.

"Aya, can I please come in? If you really don't want to talk, I won't make you. But I want to tell you some things. I'd like to be able to see your face, though. Please." Fiyero heard the depth of pleading in his tone, but decided he didn't care if he sounded desperate. Because that was just how he felt. After a moment, the lock clicked, and the door opened. Just a crack. Graiya's face did not appear in the opening. Fiyero was sure this was all the invitation he was going to get, and took it.

The first thing that struck Fiyero as he entered the room was how dark it was. Though it was the middle of the day, Graiya had all of the curtains closed, and hadn't turned on a light. The little girl was sitting on her bed, her hands folded in her lap. Even as her father approached the bed, and then sat down beside her, she would not look up.

"Mama has everything all ready for your trip tomorrow," Fiyero began, forcing excitement into his voice for his daughter's sake. "I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you. Stavna has decided she wants to stay here, only until your birthday party. Then both of us will come. She can stay there then, if you want her to. Will you mind if she stays here?"

Graiya shrugged, trying to give the impression she didn't care. Fiyero knew better, and quietly asked Graiya to look him in the eye. She complied, but only held his gaze for a few seconds before looking away again.

"Aya, I'm not going to yell at you anymore. I know you don't like being separated from your sister. It will only be for a week. just about. Then we'll all be there together. Besides, won't it be nice to have some time alone with Mama?"

Graiya looked at her father again, not looking away this time. She simply nodded in reply, not bothering to explain that it was very hard to be alone with anyone when they stayed at the castle. Though it was a very large building, there were so many servants and other staff that someone always seemed to be listening. Instead, as Graiya spoke at last, the subject she chose was entirely different. It took her a moment to begin getting the words out, as if she had begun to forget how to use her voice.

"If... If I wanted to stay here, you wouldn't let me, would you? You want me to go away."

"No. No, I don't. Mama thinks it will be best for you to have some time away from here, to heal from the things I said to you. And I agreed to that, because I need to put your feelings before what I want. I am very sorry for the things I said. I know I really hurt you. I will miss you while you're gone, and I will be happy to be at the birthday party."

"You will?" Graiya's tone held such honest surprise that Fiyero felt tears spring to his eyes. He studied Graiya's face as he replied... A face so very much like her mother's, even though it was now covered in small marks very close to welts. Tear tracks.

"Of course I will. Aya, even if you aren't ready to believe me yet, I didn't mean what I said that day. And I still love you just as much as always. I promise you I do."

Graiya made no reply, and her expression was so neutral that Fiyero couldn't begin to guess what she was thinking. He took this as his cue to leave the room. As he did, a tiny smile played at the corners of Graiya's mouth, her first attempt at one in days.

* * *

First thing the next morning, Elphaba began final preparations to leave. She didn't need to awaken Aya, who was an early riser like herself. Graiya carried the suitcases, some of them almost too heavy for her to manage, out to the carriage while her mother got Talissana ready. Fiyero rose soon afterward. He would need to get ready for work soon... but seeing most of his family off came first.

Stavna was only half awake, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, when Elphaba and Graiya announced they were ready to leave. Aya wrapped her sister in a tight hug, telling her she would see her soon. Fiyero wanted to hug his oldest daughter goodbye, but could sense that she wasn't ready for that/ He hugged Elphaba, then placed a tender kiss on Talissana's forehead.

Moments later, Elphaba, Graiya and the baby were settled in the carriage. Stavna ran up to kiss her mother goodbye, then returned to her father's side in the doorway of their home. As the carriage pulled away, Graiya began to wave, locking eyes with her father. Fiyero instantly began to wave back, sad Graiya was leaving... but glad to know that her love for him wasn't completely gone after all.


	16. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The journey to Fiyero's family castle passed uneventfully... and too quietly for Elphaba's liking. She tried many times to get Graiya to talk to her about what had happened before they left home. On every occasion the child refused. Alternately, her expression seemed angry, and at other times she would cry. Through it all, she said nothing. By the second day of the trip, Graiya passed most of her time in sleep, which was completely unlike her.

When they arrived at last, a heavy rain was falling. Elphaba was glad to see servants emerge from the castle with umbrellas as soon as they pulled up, which made it safe for her and Graiya to get inside. The king and queen were waiting just inside the door, smiling and welcoming the family with happy talk. Graiya said hello and gave a brief hug to each of her grandparents, but that was all. After this, she stood at her mother's side, mute and unsmiling, as the king and queen exclaimed over Talissana. Neither of them could hold her yet, because she was fast asleep and no one wanted to wake her. Graiya was sorry... because she knew that without having the baby to lavish their attention on, all of the adults would turn their eyes to her. Once they were all settled in a comfortable, small receiving room that Jeranda used exclusively for close friends and family, that was exactly what happened. The king spoke first, knowing that his eldest grandchild had a particular soft spot for him.

"We're so glad you came a little early this year, Aya. It will be really nice to celebrate your birthday here. What kind of cake would you like? Our cook makes delicious ones, and she says it's your choice."

Graiya shrugged, but said nothing. Elphaba then tried to encourage her child to answer. She managed to do this without a trace of anger or upset, which impressed both of her in-laws.

"You've had one favorite every single year, darling heart. You can tell Poppy what it is, then he can ask the cook to make it for you. It's your birthday; You have to have a cake."

"I don't want one," Graiya replied, her voice hoarse and low. "I want everyone to come here for the party, that's all! I don't care about a cake." Elphaba saw the tears standing in Graiya's eyes, and took this as a cue to excuse both her daughter and herself from their present company. She said this was so that she could put Talissana down for a nap in their usual suite of rooms. Elphaba found a crib already set up in a corner of the master suite, and once the baby was at rest, Elphaba walked with her older daughter to the smaller bedroom that would be hers. Once they were seated on one of the beds, Elphaba gently put one hand under Graiya's chin, giving the child little choice but to look at her.

"Aya, are you afraid Papa will change his mind and not come to the party? Is that it?"

Graiya nodded rapidly, her tears spilling over. "Aya, I want you to listen to me. I told Papa he's welcome to come here for the party, and he said he would. No matter how angry he might be at you, for anything, he would not miss your birthday. Besides, he isn't even mad at you anymore. He was scared for me, that is all. I'm fine now. He has no reason to be upset with you. He never should have taken it out on you in the first place, darling heart. That's why I got so angry at him."

"Are you sure he isn't mad anymore? You're SURE he'll come?"

"Positive. He'll come, and bring your sister with him. The rest of the family will come too, including Grandpapa. He has something very special he's been waiting to give you."

"The best present will be if Papa still loves me," Graiya whispered. "I'm still really sad he said those mean things to me. One minute I'm really mad at him, and it hurts a lot. But then, I think about how things always were... and I want them to be like that again. I know I shouldn't have asked you to use the magic... I KNOW that, Mama, and I'm sorry. But I didn't want to go and leave everyone behind. I was wrong to tell you it was okay to use the magic. It was bad of me to say that! If you had... had died, Mama, it would have been my fault!"

Elphaba pulled her daughter close as she began to weep openly. Soon, they were both crying. Graiya's tears only eased when they began to cause her serious pain and she forced them away. Elphaba did not try to stop her tears as she spoke again.

"It wouldn't have been your fault if I hadn't survived, Graiya. My choices are my responsibility. I made the choice to help you, to save you. I'm your mother. What other choice could I have made? Of course I was scared, but only that I might fail you. I knew I'd be very ill afterwards... But I didn't care about that. I hardly thought about it, because it didn't matter. Making you well was the only thing I cared about."

"Really?" Graiya whispered, her eyes wide. "I was so scared of dying... I can't imagine not being scared of that. You must be so brave. I don't think I'll ever be like that."

"Yes you will, Aya," Elphaba replied calmly, her tears gone now. "You'll need to be brave when Papa comes... Give him a chance to talk to you. I'm still angry at him too. But only a little. I know he didn't mean what he said. With a little time, so will you."

"But Mama... Papa loves you so much, and you got sick because you helped me. Why shouldn't he be mad? Stavna didn't do that to you, so he can love her the same as always. But he'll always remember what happened, and he has to blame someone, right? He loves you too much to do that to you. It has to be me then... Doesn't it?"

"No," Elphaba replied in her firmest voice. "He doesn't have to blame either of us. The curse I'm under is neither of our faults, and your father knows that. When he gets here, things can be much better. If you give him a chance."

"I will, I promise. Mama, can I ask you something?"

Graiya's tears had vanished, and her expression was so odd Elphaba had no idea what her question might be. Still, she knew whatever it was must be important.

"Yes, Aya. What is it?"

"Who was it that put the curse on you?"

After a moment of surprise, Elphaba gathered herself to reply. "My father did," she began simply. Graiya gasped before her mother continued. "That isn't as simple an answer as it seems to be, Aya. Of course I'm not talking about Grandpapa... As much as we all love him, you know he's not my father. The man who raised me, and you know didn't like me, wasn't really my father either. My father, my real father, was the one that did it. He used to rule the city before we lived there, before Aunt Glinda was in charge."

"The wizard," Graiya whispered, taking her mother completely by surprise. "I've heard some of the older kids talking about him at school. Some of them don't like Aunt Glinda because she made him go away. But sometimes, one of the kids will say that he really wasn't very nice. It's sort of confusing. But now, with what you say... He wasn't nice at all. And he's my grandfather. I never have to tell anyone that, do I?"

"No, not ever. Only a few people know that, no one else needs to. You have two grandfathers that love you very much, that's all that matters. I don't know where my father is, and I don't care. As long as he never comes near me or any of us again, I will be happy."

"Aunt Glinda knows, doesn't she? About who your father is, and that he put the curse on you."

Elphaba only nodded slightly as Graiya went on. "Mama, how can someone's own father hate them that much? I mean... I know Papa was really mad at me, and I don't know if he can love me the same as always. But I don't think he could hate me, not ever. How can your father hate you? I don't understand."

Elphaba didn't even consider telling her daughter everything about why her own father hated her so much. Aya was too young, and the journey had left Elphaba too tired for such long explanations.

"Not everyone is so lucky to have a father that loves them as much as Papa loves you," she answered simply. Graiya said nothing else, accepting this answer. Then, she walked across the room to look out a window at the grey, wet day.

"Stupid rain," she said with anger. "It would be so nice to go out and play." Graiya got a mischievious smile on her face and glanced over at her mother. "You could play hide and seek with me!"

"Oh no," Elphaba said, but her voice held laughter as she said it. "With the size of this place, I'll be looking for you for three days! Nice try, young lady."

Graiya put on a pouty expression and tried to sound angry, though it didn't work very well. "You never want to play that game. Please can't we do something fun? Tali is having her nap, we have time until supper or anything. Please?"

"Of course we can. What would you like to do?"

"Well... I was thinking maybe I could make a little present for Papa for when he comes. As a way to make up. Do you think that's a good idea, Mama?"

"It would be a nice surprise," Elphaba said, trying to keep the doubt out of her voice. "But Papa should apologize to you, Aya. Even if he really likes your present, and you're happy to see him."

Aya now looked uncertain. "Mama, you don't hate Papa now, do you? Because I don't. I'm sort of scared of him, but that's all. Really."

"No, I don't hate Papa." Elphaba replied without hesitation. "Like I said, I'm a little angry, and worried you won't be ready to talk to him. That's all."

"I miss him already," Graiya admitted. "I think I know what I want to make for his present. Will you help me so I won't mess it up?"

Elphaba agreed to this, and she and her daughter spent the majority of the afternoon working on the art project Graiya had decided upon. Over the next several days, both of their moods lifted. Graiya began to look forward to her birthday party, and even asked to go shopping for a dress for the occasion. Therefore, two days before the party, Graiya and Elphaba went in search of the perfect dress while the king and queen happily took on babysitting duties for the afternoon. The shopping trip was successful, and Graiya returned to the castle with a white dress and shoes. She chose deep purple socks and ribbons for her hair, partly because she knew they matched the color of the wedding dress her mother had worn.

At last, the day of Graiya's birthday arrived. The child rose early and crept to her mother's room, where she found her still asleep. Hesitantly, feeling she was too old to be doing so, Graiya climbed in beside her mother and shook her gently by the shoulder. Elphaba almost immediately opened her eyes, and when she saw Graiya there beside her, smiled.

"Good morning. Happy birthday, darling heart."

Graiya grinned back as she replied. "Thanks, Mama. It's still so early, but can we get up and see what the cook is diong? She said she would be starting on the cake early!"

"Not this soon, Aya," Elphaba said with a small laugh. "She has to make breakfast first. I'm glad you changed your mind about having a cake. I know you like to be down in the kitchen talking to everyone. Go on, I'll be there after the baby and I are ready to come down."

Graiya quickly changed out of her nightclothes before venturing downstairs to the kitchen. Sometimes the child was still daunted by the size of the castle, but this particular route was one she had learned quite well. She had been happy to learn from the elderly cook that the kitchen had always been one of her father's favorite places as well. As Graiya entered the busy but orderly space, the cheerful old cook saw her immediately.

"Ah, there's our birthday girl!" she cried as Graiya walked over to her to receive a quick but tender kiss on the forehead. A pair of kitchen maids paused very briefly to smile in their direction.

"Good morning, Pearl. Mama said I could come down, even though you can't start the cake until after breakfast. Can I help with something?"

"My girls have everything under control with breakfast. I'll just have to do up the eggs and things once your Mama is ready. The master and mistress certainly take their breakfast later than the two of you!"

Graiya laughed a little, but then shook her head. "I'm really not hungry this morning. Once you start getting things ready for the party, can't I help you? Please?"

"You with your tiny appetite! You and your mother both. I swear, you'll both waste away one of these days. And you can't be in here and risk getting all messy once you put your party dress on, but before that, I think some company would be very nice. It will help keep you busy instead of worrying on when your father will get here. Is that it, then?"

"Part of it," Graiya admitted. "But I just like to help. Besides, Oran doesn't like me to explore the castle that much. He says I'm too nosy."

"That old butler is a crabby puss, that's what he is! Doesn't know how to enjoy having children in the household , that's all." The cook's face brightened as she looked toward the doorway. "And speaking of children, our wee one is here now!" Pearl smiled at Elphaba and said good morning. She took a moment to fuss over Talissana, then turned to her work of preparing the meal.

Graiya ate only a few bites of her eggs and toast once breakfast was served, and as soon as her mother excused her from the table, she took off for the garden to pass the rest of the morning playing out amongst the flowers and sunshine. On this morning, she found her grandfather sitting on the bench near the center of the garden, his eyes half-closed as if he were about to drop off to sleep. Graiya approached him cautiously.

"Poppy?" she called hesitantly. "Poppy, are you okay?"

The king immediately opened his eyes and smiled widely. "I'm fine, Graiya. What are you doing out here? I thought you'd be helping Pearl in the kitchen."

"She's not ready to start yet, but she said I can help until I have to put that silly dress on."

"Silly?" the senior Fiyero said with a laugh. "I seem to remember it was you that picked it out. I think you'll look very pretty."

Graiya looked down, embarrassed by the comment. "Thanks, Poppy. But I mostly got it because Papa likes it when I get all dressed up, so..."

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure he'll love it. Besides, a pretty party dress is just the thing for a little princess to wear on her birthday, don't you think?"

"Mama says I won't really be a princess until we have to live here. She's taught me and Stavna to be regular kids. She says we need to work really hard at school and not think about the family having a lot of money. Because it might make us spoiled."

"You, young lady, have a very wise mother. She's going to make a fine queen one day."

Graiya smiled with pride and chatted with her grandfather for a few more minutes before going off alone to play. Before long, Pearl came in search of Graiya to ask for her help in the kitchen baking the birthday cake, which was to be chocolate with orange-flavored icing. After about an hour, Elphaba told Graiya it was time that she go get changed because the guests were due to start arriving soon. Reluctantly, Graiya did as she was told, and once she was ready she went down to the entry area of the castle to await her company.

In short order, Graiya's guests began to arrive. Glinda and her family arrived first, and surprised the birthday girl by bringing Taliesin with them. Cole, his parents and fiancee came next, followed by several children Graiya knew from school. By now, the castle was filled with the smells of the birthday dinner that was due to be served within the hour. Graiya did not join her guests. Instead, she paced the entryway, wondering where her father and sister were. As dinnertime crept closer, Elphaba went to talk to her daughter, who was now struggling not to cry.

"Aya, why don't you come talk to everyone for a while? It will help pass the time. Papa wouldn't forget, darling heart. Maybe they just got a late start, or ran into a little problem on the way here. He and Stavna will be coming."

"Are you sure?" Graiya would not look up as she asked this. "Maybe Papa really is that mad at me, and..."

"No, Aya. It has nothing to do with what he said before we left. He wouldn't miss your birthday."

Graiya looked extremely doubtful, and now asked her mother a question that was nagging at her mind. "Mama, can you see where they are, if they might be in trouble? I've tried to do it myself, but I can't sense anything. Do you think they're..."

"No," Elphaba replied immediately, though there was a quiver of fear in her voice. "They're just late, that's all. Dinner will be ready soon, and I want you to join us. I know you won't be hungry, but everyone has gone to a lot of trouble. Just come visit a little, eat a few bites of dinner. Then if Papa still isn't here, you don't have to stay."

"Okay," Graiya agreed quietly, a tear slipping down one cheek. She went to the dining table where everyone else was already seated. She took the chair immediately to her mother's right, with Riordan seated on her other side. Graiya made conversation the best she could, but her anxieties coupled with the fact that she had gotten in the habit of speaking very little lately did not help. Soon, the child simply sat looking down at the tablecloth. It was red, her favorite color. After watching Graiya in this state for some time, Riordan stood from his chair and spoke, resting one hand on Graiya's shoulder.

"Aya, why don't we go outside for some fresh air? I'm sure your mother can come get us when dinner is ready."

Graiya shook her head gently. "Thank you, Grandpapa, but Mama says I need to stay here. It's my party."

Elphaba assured her daughter that it would be fine to leave for just a little while. Riordan hurried to the outdoors, with Graiya holding tightly to one of his hands. "I'm glad you came, Grandpapa. I've only been here a few days, but I missed everyone already."

"I mssed you too, Aya. In fact, when I got here I had a little talk with your grandmother. What would you think if Olive and I stayed here with the family for the rest of the vacation?"

"Really??" Graiya cried, sounding happy for the first time that day. "Nan said you could? Nan is the boss here, you know... She sometimes lets Poppy think he is, though."

Riordan laughed heartily before replying. "Yes, she said it was fine. Olive and I packed plenty of things, just in case. Your cousin was very excited that she might not be spending her summer with a nanny this year."

Graiya wrinkled her nose. "I never like them either. They always smell funny. And why are they all so old?? They're really boring."

"I'm pretty old, you know," Riordan teased. "Am I boring, too?"

Graiya smiled widely and shook her head. She and her grandfather walked all the way down to the garden, and then, realizing how late it was getting, walked back much faster than they had come. When they returned, there was another carriage that had arrived that was now parked at the end of all the ones assembled near the entrance.

"It's Papa!" Graiya cried, releasing Riordan's hand and beginning to run to the castle entrance. She reached it within a moment or two, and burst through the door.

"Papa! Papa, where are you?"

Fiyero immediately emerged from the imposing dining room where he had been saying hello to his wife and all of the party guests. As soon as he appeared, Graiya ran toward him, happily being swept up into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he gently spun her around once, then kissed her.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. We left home right after Aunt Glinda did, but something went wrong with the carriage and we had to wait for help. I'm so sorry, Mama said how worried you've been. Happy birthday, Graiya."

"I was so scared you weren't coming, Papa," Graiya whispered, pressing her face against her father's neck as she began to cry. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too. Mama says you have a present for me. I'm excited to see what it is, but dinner just got put on the table. Can my surprise wait until after we eat?"

Graiya assured him it could, and they then joined everyone else in the dining room. Though Graiya at last had an appetite again, she was more interested in talking to her father than in eating. She sat on Fiyero's knee as he ate, something which drew a disapproving word from the butler when he entered the room.

"Young lady," he whispered, so softly that the only other person at the table who could hear him was Fiyero. "Where are your manners? You have your own chair, you should be sitting in it."

Graiya frowned and started to get up from her father's lap when he spoke. "It's all right, Oran. We've missed each other. I want her to stay here."

Oran wanted to argue, but knew such things were not his place. When he saw the queen watching him disapprovingly, he simply nodded and turned away. As he walked back to the kitchen, Elphaba heard him muttering about Graiya being spoiled.

Other than this small incident, the party was a great success. The children all enjoyed playing party games until it was time for Graiya to open her gifts and cut the cake. Stavna's present to her sister was to sing her happy birthday all alone. Once she had finished, everyone else joined in and sang it again. Graiya was overjoyed with her present from her grandpapa.

Graiya's school friends left at the conclusion of the party to begin the long journey back to the city. However, the rest of the family remained behind, as did Taliesin. Cole, who was not looking forward to another long carraige ride so soon, was also convinced to stay, along with his parents and fiancee.

After the long day, Graiya, Stavna and Olive were ready to turn in early. Glinda and Travion came in to say their good nights to Olive once she was ready. Fiyero came in alone to bid his two older children sweet dreams, since Elphaba was busy taking care of Talissana in the next room.

Fiyero at last got Stavna settled into bed. She always got the giggles when she was overtired, partly as a way to further delay bedtime. But as soon as she settled under the covers, her eyes slipped shut. Only then did Fiyero turn his attention to Graiya. She smiled the instant he turned in her direction.

"You looked so pretty today, Aya. I'm glad you had fun, and that you liked your gifts." He paused to kiss her on the forehead. "Thank you for the present you gave me. That was very sweet."

Graiya smiled a little, but shrugged. "It was just a little drawing, Papa. I couldn't even do it all myself. Mama had to help me with the shading parts."

"If it's Mama that helped you, it doesn't count, did you know that?"

Graiya laughed, then sat up to hug her father good night. Elphaba soon came to kiss all the children good night as well. After the lights had been turned out, Elphaba paused in the doorway. Fiyero couldn't see her expression in the darkness, but he could easily hear her mixed emotions.

"They're growing up so fast. Before we know it, Talissana will be Graiya's age."

"It's not as near as it seems, Ivy," Fiyero comforted, taking one of his wife's hands. "They're growing into fine young ladies. We can be proud."

"I am," Elphaba answered quietly. "I just wish there were more we could give them. I don't want them to live like rich children. But today after the party, your mother was talking about hiring someone to give Stavna voice lessons for the rest of the summer. I know she meant well, but Stavna was so excited that it hurt not to accept right away. I know we couldn't really afford it ourselves, but..."

"If Stavna wants it, tell my mother yes. The children have had such a hard time these last few months... we all have. They've earned the right to a wonderful summer."

Ekohaba nodded, but then sighed, suddenly very tired. She turned to go into their master suite, but Fiyero stopped her. "I have something special planned for us. Come on, it's all set up downstairs."

Fiyero frowned as his wife balked at his suggestion. "Fiyero, I know it's not that late, but it's been a VERY long day. Can't it wait?"

Fiyero scowled. "Hey, I just took two days to even get here, complete with a broken-down vehicle and a crying child who was convinced she was going to miss her sister's birthday. I think spending some time alone with you is just what I need. But if this is because you're still angry at me, fine. Go to bed then."

"No... No, I'm not angry anymore. I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just been a tiring day. Aya was so upset. She thought you had changed yoiur mind about coming; For a while that's what I thought, too."

Fiyero sighed as they began to walk downstairs. "I didn't mean to make you worry. I was relieved when you were both so happy to see me. We have lost time to make up for, so I thought this might help."

They walked to one of the smaller rooms in this part of the castle, and Fiyero opened the door without comment. Inside, music was playing softly. The room was lit solely by candles and the moonlight streaming in the windows. Fiyero walked into the room, stopped in the center, and held out one hand.

"Dance with me," he said, so quietly and hesitantly that Elphaba nearly missed the words. She was reluctant to accept, but not because she didn't want to do it.

"Fiyero, the baby is far too young to sleep through the night. She'll be needing attention soon."

"I know. But there are plenty of bottles and everything. I checked. So I asked Glinda to take care of Talissana for tonight. Come dance with me. Please?"

At last, Elphaba smiled and consented to Fiyero's request. The music they danced to was turned down low, but the large castle was so quiet that the sound carried well. Aside from occasional pauses to change the music, husband and wife danced through the night, eventually taking no notice of the time. They saw only each other, and though they said almost nothing the entire night, they could both feel their bond strengthening, returning to what it was before Elphaba's illness. They spent long stretches of time dancing close and gazing into each others eyes. Each of them could see everything the other was feeling. Elphaba was glad to have the quiet between them... She was tired of all the hurt feelings and apologies. She was simply happy to have her family together again. Fiyero, for his part, was content to be doing something so normal, without any tension or anger. He felt the family was just where they needed to be, away from the city, yet still surrounded by friends and family that loved them. Above all, Elphaba and Fiyero's hearts were filled with love for each other.


	17. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Three years later

Stavna rose first on this day, which was very unlike her. But it was the first day of the new school year, and that always made her anxious. She was already one grade ahead of other children her age, and Stavna always felt pressure to keep up with the others. She knew Graiya would be ready for university in about four years... and Stavna wanted to be able to submit entrance essays in time to be admitted in the same year as her sister. For now, though, there were much simpler things to worry about.

Their mother hadn't been feeling well for several days now, so Graiya had taken over some of the mothering of her siblings. Talissana, who was now just over three years old, slept on. She and Stavna now shared one bedroom, while Graiya had a room of her own. Stavna still missed the days she and her older sister had been the ones to share a bedroom, and how they would stay awake talking in whispers until far past bedtime. Stavna snuck into Graiya's room and began to shake her. Almost instantly, Graiya groaned and turned over.

"Avna, do you really have to wake me up every day? I have an alarm, you know."

Stavna began to pout, and backed away. "I know. But you promised to help me do my hair up really pretty. Talissana will have you running in circles doing everything for her before I can have a turn. Please get up. I was up last night helping Papa take care of Mama. She won't be geting out of bed today."

"You stayed up again?" Graiya sat up and took her sister's hand. "You know Mama has asked you not to stay up all night. Especially on school nights."

"It wasn't all night. Besides, you do it too. I just want to help... I feel bad if she's really sick and all I'm doing is sleeping. She likes it when I sing to her."

"I know she does. I'm glad it makes you both feel better. Now, if we don't get started we'll never be ready to leave on time. I think Grandpapa was planning to get here extra early today, and he only has to walk two blocks. He can help Papa make Mama comfortable before it's time for work. So, you go get yourself ready, and you can let me know when you're ready to get your hair done."

Avna did as she was told, leaving Graiya to get changed into her own school clothes and gather up her satchel that she had carefully packed the previous night. By the time Graiya emerged from her room, Riordan had arrived and was helping himself to some coffee.

"Good morning, Grandpapa. I made some things up for you, Mama and Talissana to have for lunch later. I'm sorry I can't stay and help you."

Riordan walked to where his granddaughter stood and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I know. But school comes first. Your mama would never forgive me if I let you skip school when you aren't sick. Not even to help her."

"You're right. But it's still so hard... Sometimes I'll be sitting at school, and I hear her voice in my head, calling my name."

"Aya, you can't take care of her all the time. You're so good in school, so smart... Just like her. And look how tall you're getting! I'm convinced you're taller every time I see you these days."

Graiya laughed as she hugged Riordan tightly. "Grandpapa, you just saw me yesterday! I better go say good morning to Mama and Papa before I help Stavna finish getting ready. Tali was still asleep, but I'm sure that won't last much longer."

Graiya slipped into the master bedroom, and finding her father asleep in the chair beside the bed, went to rouse him from slumber.

"Papa," Graiya said, rather loudly because she knew what a heavy sleeper he was. "Papa, it's time to get up. It's almost eight. Grandpapa is here already."

"Now??" Fiyero woke with a start, and sounded almost panicked, as if he had missed an important appointment. "How could it be that late? Why didn't you wake me sooner?!"

Graiya took her father's snappishness in stride. "Papa, it's only eight o'clock, I just said that. Grandpapa is early. Go get yourself ready for work while I say good morning to Mama. Everything is fine, I promise."

As Fiyero left the room, Graiya turned all of her attention to her mother, who appeared to be asleep... But she rarely was. Usually, she hovered on the edges of sleep, easily roused by her own waves of intense pain, or by conversation and movement happening near her. The only time she truly rested was when she was unconscious. That was something that occurred more often and for longer periods of time with every passing week.

"Mama, are you awake? If you're awake, open your eyes and talk to me. Open your eyes, please? I know it hurts you. Mama. Just for a minute, okay?"

Elphaba slowly opened her eyes, and after giving them a moment to focus, looked at her eldest daughter and smiled.

"How pretty you look," she whispered. "Is Stavna ready? I wish I could help, but..."

"It's okay, Mama. I I told her I'd put some curls in her hair for today. Maybe if you're feeling better tomorrow you can put our hair in braids the way you like to do. We all have to leave soon, but Grandpapa is here. I wish I could stay, too. "

"You worry too much, darling heart. I don't feel strong enough to be up and about today, but I'm much better. School is more important. You do so well with everything, and I'm so proud of you. I'm just sorry you girls have to spend so much time worrying about me."

"Mama, I help take care of you because I love you. You don't have to feel bad. Now, I'd better go help Avna before she sends a search party after me." Here Graiya paused to give her mother a goodbye kiss. "I'll be home right after class. Tell Grandpapa I expect him to behave himself. He keeps sneaking pieces of your favorite candy from the kitchen cupboard!"

Elphaba laughed at this, mostly because she already knew Riordan liked to 'steal' some of her favorite sweets, and she didn't care in the least. She lay there in bed, listening to the sounds of her household as life went on around her... and without her. She always treasured the time she got to spend with her family, but so much of their lives had nothing to do with her anymore. Not only because Graiya and Stavna were growing up... That much was normal. But even Talissana seemed to always look to someone else to take care of her. Even when Elphaba herself was well enough to do it. Just a couple of weeks ago when Glinda had come to help out for the day, Elphaba had heard Talissana call her mama. Though Glinda had corrected the child, and noone even knew Elphaba had overheard, it still hurt to think of it.

Fiyero... He was another matter entirely. Though he was as devoted as always, and spent as many hours as possible caring for her, Elphaba knew he was tired. Not only physically tired, but tired of being needed. He talked so often now of the days when they were first married, when Elphaba had been so much stronger and quick to recover. That in itself made her feel like enough of a disappointment. But over the last several months, he had stopped calling her Ivy altogether. There had been a time when he had called her that much more often than by her real name. Now, if he spoke to her directly, he rarely called her by any name at all.

For her part, Elphaba was hurt by Fiyero's behavior, but didn't discuss it with him. After all of the demands she placed on his time and energy, she felt she had no right to ask for anything more. People seemed to forget that she actually felt things, too. That she hurt and felt exhausted and wished things could be different, just like everyone else did. At times, especially when Fiyero was at home, she felt more like an object than a person. He would discuss her current physical state with visitors right there in the bedroom as if Elphaba were not present. She could hear him now, getting ready to leave for work. She heard the distinctive sound of him pulling his boots on, whistling all the while. The only time he ever whistled anymore was when he was preparing to leave the house for the day. He didn't seem to realize this, and Elphaba hadn't dared mention it to him. Now, without warning, Elphaba burst into nearly uncontrollable tears. She turned her head to bury her face in the pillow, ashamed of her weakness.

Elphaba took no notice of anything but her weeping until she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard a male voice calling her name. At first, through the haze, she thought it was Riordan. But when she turned to look, it was Fiyero.

"Elphaba, what's the matter? Stavna said she knocked to come in and kiss you goodbye and she heard you crying. You didn't answer her when she called out to you, so she and Graiya were too frightened to come in. Please tell me what's wrong."

Elphaba hurriedly wiped away her tears. "We can't talk about it now. It must be almost eight-thirty. You'll be late for work."

"Travion will understand, you know that. Please, Elphaba, what is it? I've never heard you cry like that. Never."

Fiyero sat down on the edge of the bed, taking both of his wife's hands, then leaned over to kiss them tenderly. This was so like the things he used to do before Elphaba was ill so often that it caused her to start crying again, more softly this time.

"Fiyero, I..." Here Elphaba had to pause and take a shuddering breath. "I was just thinking about some things. But it's late, and Talissana must be awake by now. She'll be hungry. I should try to get up and see what she wants to eat."

"Riordan is taking care of that, I saw them both in the kitchen. Please stop avoiding my question. Tell me what's wrong."

"I never meant to become such a burden," Elphaba began, the anger clear in her voice. "We used to be so happy... Things weren't always easy, but we could depend on each other, and being together made things better. I never see you smile anymore, and you seem so glad to get out of the house, away from me. I know you can't be here every minute, I wouldn't ask you to. But..."

Elphaba was forced to pause, and Fiyero could hear the harsh wheezing sound in her chest. "Just rest a few minutes," he said nervously. "I can do the talking for a while. Elphaba, I know things aren't the same as they used to be. but we're different people than we were just a few years ago. After that summer when Graiya turned ten, you came home seeming so much weaker. Whether it was because of our arguing, or Tali being born, maybe both... You just weren't the same. I felt so responsible, and I still do. Not that I'm sorry Tali came along... I'd never say that. But I didn't have to act like that toward you. I was wrong. When you said you wanted to go away to the castle, I should have asked you to stay. We could have talked everything through, and it would have been settled."

"I'm not talking about that, Fiyero. That was years ago, it's over now. Things didn't feel any different until just the last few months. I know I've been sick much more than I've been well, and that I make things difficult. But I... I never thought you'd be happier away from me than with me. And about three months ago when you stopped calling me Ivy, I started to wonder if things would ever be the same again. Fiyero, I can't... Can't talk anymore."

"You're tired, it can wait until tonight. You just rest, we can talk everything over when I get home, okay? Unless you'd like me to stay here today."

Elphaba shook her head emphatically, telling her husband through facial expression that she needed to wait. Fiyero kissed her goodbye, then left quietly. Not five minutes later, Elphaba had dropped off to sleep.

By the time Fiyero arrived home that night, Elphaba was the only one there. She greeted him at the door, which came as a great surprise.

"You must be feeling so much better. I'm glad. Where are the girls? Is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine, Fiyero. I told them they could sleep over at Glinda's tonight, to give us time alone to talk. Aya knows what's going on, like she usually does. She didn't ask me anything, but I could tell. She was crying when she left."

"You've been crying more, too. I'm sorry, Ivy. We should have started talking sooner. But I was afraid to."

Elphaba seemed to hear only part of what her husband said, because her eyes filled with joy. "You do remember," she whispered. "I thought you'd never call me that again."

:"Of course I remember. I didn't stop calling you that to punish you. Honestly, until you mentioned it this morning, I didn't even realize I'd stopped. It's not your fault. I... I've been so afraid, and that's why I've been acting strange. I'm sorry, Elphaba."

"Afraid of what? Sit down, tell me."

Fiyero could see in Elphaba's eyes that she already knew some of the things he was about to say. She was giving him the chance to say everything for himself, to get it out in the open in his own time. He appreciated that more than he could ever express to her. He was still somewhat afraid to admit things to Elphaba, but knew the time had come. The strength of their relationship depended on their willingness to talk now. To understand each other in a way they hadn't done in a long time.

"Ivy, I know you can't help it when you aren't feeling well. I've never blamed you. I know where the blame for the curse lies. But you've been so weak these last few months... So unlike yourself. That scares me, because you've always been the stronger one of the two of us, in so many ways. Lately, I've been so frightened that you'll die, and all of a sudden I'll be a widower... and left with three daughters to raise. Of course I love them, and I know they love me. But I can't be both father and mother. There are things they will wonder about that it will be impossible for me to explain to them. Because I'm not you. I love you so much, as much as ever. I've been so afraid to reach out to you, to tell you that anymore, because I've been terrified of you leaving me. I know how weak that makes me sound, but it's the truth."

Elphaba sat quietly a few moments, taking in what Fiyero had said and giving him time to compose himself well enough to listen to her reply. When she sensed Fiyero was ready, Elphaba began to speak.

"Fiyero, I've been just as frightened as you have. I don't want to leave you all alone. I've been fighting this curse as much as I can for so many years now. I am weaker, things have gotten harder. But I haven't stopped fighting. I have so many regrets... That all of you are left with no choice but to take care of me so often. I feel so useless, like I don't even get to do anything meaningful anymore. I've had to give up my job, I hardly leave home. I can't even help with the children very often. Talissana barely knows me. She looks at me like I'm someone who just happens to live here... A while back. she called Glinda Mama. I wasn't right there when it happened, but I heard them from our room. It made me feel like I didn't exist."

Fiyero's face filled with anguish as he replied. He didn't need any further explanation to understand how much a thing like that would wound Elphaba. "No one told me about that. You could have told me, Ivy."

"Why, to make you feel as badly as I did? I wanted to forget it, pretend it didn't happen. I've tried, I can't. Talissana is so young, and my time with her might be so short... Too short. I want her to know me as her mother, a real mother. I want her to remember me."

"She will. We can start doing some things differently so she gets to spend more time with you. You couldn't have been as upset as you were this morning only because of Talissana. It was because of me, too. You didn't explain all of it, did you? I want you to tell me. Tell me everything, even if it will hurt you to say it, and me to hear it. We've waited so long to talk about all of this. Maybe too long."

"No!" Elphaba cried. "It isn't too late, not yet. We're listening to each other now, understanding each other. That means a lot. But I... I haven't been able to be a good wife for so long now. I'm really surprised you haven't given up on me already. I'm usually stuck in bed, listening to everyone talk about me as if I were part of the furniture. When did I stop being a person? Even to you, and I never... I NEVER thought that could happen. Not between us."

At this point, both Fiyero and Elphaba began to cry. For a long time they simply sat there on the couch, holding each other close and letting their tears run their course. As they both began to calm, Fiyero kissed his wife tenderly on the lips, and she took both of his hands in hers after he drew away.

"Ellphaba, I never meant to make you feel like that. I was thinking of my own feelings and not yours. If I ever slip and start treating you like that again, I want you to make sure you let me know. If you can, that is. Ivy, can I ask you something?"

"Yes. Whatever it is, I promise I won't bite."

Fiyero laughed softly before he went on. "Ivy, I know you said you were going to make sure to rest, to be ready to talk to me now. But you're so much stronger than you were this morning. You look so healthy... How did that happen? You used some magic, didn't you?"

His words were not an accusation of any kind, and Elphaba actually smiled as she replied. "I wondered when you'd get around to asking that. So I cheated... but only a little. By the middle of the afternoon I was feeling so much better that I was able to cast the spell on myself. At first I thought I was going to have to ask Glinda if she would do it. When Graiya and Stavna got home from school, you should have seen the looks on their faces! Papa didn't seem bothered by the whole thing either, and I was glad. I'm hoping the spell will last a while, but if I start feeling worse again..."

"We'll worry about that when we need to. Since the children are gone for the night, why don't we go out somewhere? It's been ages since you went anywhere, and I think we've earned a nice dinner out all by ourselves. You didn't eat before I got home, did you?"

"No, and it would be nice to go out. But Fiyero, just this one talk we've had doesn't settle everything. I hope you don't think it does. We will have to see what happens the next time I take a turn for the worse. That will tell me if you really listened to me tonight."

Fiyero sighed heavily, but looked Elphaba directly in the eye. "Ivy, of course I listened. I could tell you were listening to me too. I know everything isn't solved all of a sudden. But we're closer right now than we've felt in months. Is it so wrong that I want to take my own wife out to celebrate that?"

Tears came to Elphaba's eyes as she replied. "No... No, of course not. I'm just so glad you still want us to spend time together like this. I love you so much; I never stopped loving you. But sometimes I..."

"You wondered if I still loved you," Fiyero stated, and Elphaba nodded hesitantly. "The way I've been nehaving, I'm not surprised you'd think that. But Ivy, I promise you that I'm going to try harder to listen to you... To remember how you must feel about things. All of this is hard on you, too. Not just physically, but emotionally. I guess I had convinced myself that it was better for you to be surrounded by the children, or anyone else but me. I forgot that you need me too, and not just as your caregiver."

:"Yes, I do need you sometimes. I don't think that makes me a weaker person, and it doesn't make you one for needing me. We love each other, and we've been together so many years. Of course we've come to count on each other. If two people have a relationship that works, isn't it supposed to be like that? We're supposed to know we can depend on each other, that you can do things I can't do, and vice versa."

Fiyero scoffed loudly. "Really, Elphaba, what is there I can do that you can't?"

"Well, for one thing, our youngest daughter would never get a bath if it weren't for you! I don't envy you the task with Talissana. You'd think bathtime was some kind of torture, the way she fights you."

"She's stubborn, just like her mother, that's all." Fiyero said with a smile. "She's decided she doesn't like baths. That's all there is to it."

They sat quietly together for a while before deciding to change into some nice evening clothes and have dinner at their favorite place in the city. Though it wasn't a seriously upscale place, it was quiet and had a large number of regulars. People were surprised and relieved to see Elphaba and Fiyero there, and every single person there that knew them stopped by their table to say hello and inquire after the children.

Once things settled down, Fiyero and Elphaba were able to enjoy a cozy dinner together. They each ordered their favorite things, and they didn't rush to finish the meal. Soon, they were laughing and talking together as if the stress of the past several months had never existed. They were each thrilled to see the other so happy and content. When they were at last ready to leave for home, Elphaba made a request.

"Fiyero, would you mind if we stopped by Glinda's house to look in on the girls? I'm sure they're fine, I just want to see them and give them their kisses goodnight. We have our own key, we won't have to wake anyone."

"Elphaba, you don't even have to ask that. Of course we can check on them. Even if they're sleeping, it will help us to know they're all right. Let's go, it will only take a few minutes to get there."

As soon as Fiyero and Elphaba arrived at Glinda's house and let themselves in, they went staight to the rooms the girls always slept in. Olive and Stavna shared one room, while Graiya and Talissana shared the other. Tali always insisted on staying close to her oldest sister when they stayed away from home. A dim light was on in the room they were sharing, thanks to Talissana's intense fear of the dark.

Elphaba leaned over to kiss Graiya's forehead. The older girl slept on, not showing the slightest sign of waking. When Tali's turn came, however, her eyes opened as soon as Elphaba leaned over her.

"Mama, you did come!" Talissana cried happily, forgetting to be quiet. Her parents shushed her gently, and she went on in a whisper. "Can we all go home? I want my own bed."

Elphaba knelt beside the bed. "I thought you liked to stay here. Just for tonight, okay? Papa and I will come get you right away in the morning."

"I don't want to!" Talissana exclaimed. Her blue eyes, so like her father's, flashed with temper. "I want to go home, with you! I waited for you to come. Please, Mama? Please??"

Though Fiyero and Elphaba wanted to have more time alone when they got home, neither of them could resist the pleading look on Talissana's face. While Elphaba gathered her youngest child into her arms and headed for home, Fiyero quickly found pen and paper to dash off a quick note about where Talissana had gone and left it on her pillow, where Graiya was sure to see it in the morning.

By the time Fiyero arrived home, Talissana was nearly asleep again. Elphaba carried her as she walked slowly around the bedroom. Every few seconds, Talissana's eyes would slip shut, but she would force herself to open them again. Fiyero chuckled when he saw this, and Elphaba glanced up at him.

"She's trying so hard to stay awake. She always does that, no matter how tired or grouchy she gets."

"The other girls were never so stubborn about it, at least not often." Elphaba turned her attention back to her daughter, who finally laid her head down on her mother's shoulder. Elphaba began stroking the child's dark hair, which was already quite long.

"Go to sleep now, little one. It's late, far past your bedtime. We'll have lots of time to do things together tomorrow."

"Will you be in bed again?" Talissana mumbled sleepily. Fiyero saw tears spring to Elphaba's eyes, and almost stepped forward to take Talissana from her arms to tuck her in. At his first movement, though, Elphaba shook her head gently. To her daughter she said, "No, not tomorrow. I feel fine. Go to sleep, Tali."

"Night, Mama. I love you."

Elphaba whispered that she loved her too, and within minutes, Talissana was soundly asleep. Both Elphaba and Fiyero tucked the child in, then kissed her goodnight and turned to leave the room. They made sure to turn on the nightlight that Talissana insisted on having. Fiyero could see the contentment in his wife's face. He knew most of it was due to their long discuss and happy time together this night But part of it also had to do with Talissana. He felt that Tali's desire to come home was no coincedence. It had provided just the moments of bonding that Elphaba had been craving, and left her feeling very reassured.

Though husband and wife spent some time talking before turning out the lights in preparation for sleep, They had several long minutes of quiet, when all they did was lie close together, content to simply be near each other. They both felt very at peace, more than they'd been in far too long. Things were not completely mended between them, but for now, they were both very happy. Things felt normal again, which was the best thing either of them could have hoped for.


	18. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The next several months were mostly good ones. Elphaba felt well enough to return to work at last, and suffered no major bouts of pain. Talissana, who was still too young for school, began to go with her mother to work. They both treasured this time together, especially Talissana, because it made her feel just as important as her sisters for the first time.

The two older girls had their ups and downs, mostly on Graiya's part. Stavna was excelling in school and had been told she would skip another grade at the beginning of the next school year, which would put her only one level behind Graiya. Stavna also took great pleasure in her ongoing lessons with a voice coach. Though it was hard work, she loved the challenge, and nothing made her happier than pleasing others with her singing. While the joy it brought was shared by everyone, Stavna was very careful not to let any compliments or praise go to her head, as she knew some of her teacher's other pupils did.

Graiya was not in as happy a place as her sister. While she was still an exemplary student, she grew quiet and withdrawn at home. She would offer no explanation, no matter how often her parents asked her if something was wrong. At last, Elphaba got some inkling of what was going on, but she bided her time until the right moment arrived to talk to Graiya. That time finally presented itself one afternoon when the entire family was at home.

"Aya, open the door. Stavna was standing out here for over five minutes calling your name. I've had enough of this now. Open up."

Graiya looked around at all of the things she had spread out on her bedroom floor while she worked. Mostly papers filled with cramped but perfectly legible writing. In the center of it all lay the spellbook that had been a gift from her grandfather. It was open to a page that was only partially filled.

"Mama, can't it wait? I'm really busy. Please?"

"Graiya Rose, you heard what I said. I want you to let me in, right now."

At this point, Graiya knew better than to disobey. She immediately unlocked the door and opened it wide for her mother to enter. Graiya sat on her bed, and after a moment Elphaba joined her.

"Please don't be mad, Mama. I didn't ignore Stavna on purpose. I was just really busy, and I didn't..."

"You didn't hear her calling you," Elphaba finished, and Graiya nodded hesitantly. "Aya, I'm not going to yell at you. But you know you aren't being fair to your sisters. They should be able to spend time with you. Everything else can wait."

"But Mama..."

"No, Aya. There are no buts about it. I understand that the other things you've been doing are important. Really I do. But they need you too. For now, all of this can wait. I've felt fine for months. You need to try and stop worrying, Aya."

"Mama, I've worried about you my whole life. And what I've been working on... You're going to need..."

"Not yet." Elphaba replied quickly. "When the time comes, both of us will know. For now, I really want you to leave all of this, spend time with the family. All of us have hardly seen you lately. And look at you... You look so tired."

"I am, but I don't mind. It will be worth it. What did Avna want me for?"

"I don't know, she wouldn't say. You can go ask her. She's outside keeping Tali entertained."

Graiya rose from the bed to join her sister outside, but paused to ask one more question first. "Mama, is Papa going to yell at me when I go out there? You already know what I've been doing... You told him, didn't you?"

"Yes, your father and I have talked about it. I promise he's not angry at you. Things are different now, Aya. You're growing up, getting so much stronger. Everything will be fine. I can feel it."

"Sometimes I don't feel very grown up," Graiya said with a sigh as she left the room to join her sisters out of doors. Elphaba rejoined her husband at the kitchen table, where he had been quietly awaiting her return.

"How did it go?"

Elphaba sighed before replying. "All right. At least she finally came out of there. My vision was right, though. She's working on a spell to break the curse. She's figuring it out all on her own... There are notes all over the floor in her room."

"Elphaba, are you sure it's a good idea to let Graiya work on that all alone? She's still so young... I know that all that time you spent working with her teaching her to control her magic did help. But she's not as strong as you are, not yet. How can you be so sure she can do what you're going to need?"

"She'll be ready. I've seen it. I won't say I'm not a little scared, but she knows what she's doing, without any help. If she needed it, she would have asked. By the time that spell to break the curse is needed, she'll be ready. What she's most afraid of isn't failing me. Graiya is afraid of you."

Fiyero sighed and looked away. "Because of that time you ended up in the hospital. Elphaba, I thought she understood I don't blame her for that. I never really blamed her... I was just afraid. Besides, this is different. She's trying to save you, not the other way around. Graiya is young, and physically strong. I know she's smart enough to handle this, too. All she wants to do is help you. How could I be angry at her for that?"

"She doesn't think you're angry. She knows you get frightened... That when the time comes, you might try to stop her. And that if you do, I'll die."

Fiyero met his wife's gaze again, the color draining from his face. "Ivy... Do you know what will really happen if Graiya doesn't try that spell? Do you know for sure?"

"No. This might not make sense, but I don't think I'd be able to foresee my own death. I've seen others, you know that. But even on my worst days, I've never had a vision of what would happen to me. The power doesn't work that way."

"Then when you said you had that vision of what Graiya was going to do, what did you actually see?"

"Her, mostly. From the intensity in her voice, I knew what the spell must have been meant to do. I'm afraid to let her try... but I'm also afraid not to. I'd never want to use her for my own benefit... But I didn't ask her to do this. She just knows, and it's as if she needs to do it to prove to herself that she has all the magic she thinks she does. Wouldn't it be wrong to stop her?"

"I think so," Fiyero said firmly. "But I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from worrying that she'll get hurt."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't worry, Fiyero. I'm worried too. But we need to trust Graiya to do this. If we don't, it could change everything."

Her parents' acceptance of her spellworking lifted Graiya's mood considerably. No longer needing to be secretive about it helped her be able to spend more time with the family, especially Stavna, who was craving her sister's attention the most. They now regularly found time to sit together and talk, usually after dinner when Talissana was being put to bed.

"Aya, I don't want to share a room with Tali anymore," Stavna was saying now. "She's such a baby! She always insists on having that stupid light on. How am I supposed to sleep with a light in my face??"

"The light isn't that bright, Avna," Graiya replied calmly. "She really isn't much more than a baby, you know. And I can remember a time someone else in this house was a little scared of the dark, too."

Stavna crossed her arms and scowled, refusing to relent. "So what if I was? I'm ten now, not five. Why do I have to share a room with HER? Your room is the biggest, we can share!"

"My room only looks bigger because it doesn't have two beds in it. You aren't being fair to Tali. She gets scared being alone... She likes having you there. In a very few years we'll both be living away from home. She's our sister, we should enjoy the time we have to spend with her."

"I guess so," Stavna conceded. "But it's still more fun talking about grown-up things with you. Did you tell that new boy in your class that you like him yet?"

Graiya looked away, clearly embarrassed. "Not yet. He's only been in my class for a few weeks. Besides, Simka is really shy... He hardly talks to anyone yet."

"So, you talk to him first!" Stavna cried excitedly. "Maybe he's just waiting for someone to talk to him. You should try, Aya. Why wouldn't he like you?"

"Are you trying to be funny, Avna? Have you looked at me lately? I get so nervous he'll be afraid of me or something."

"But you're so pretty, Graiya. I've always wished I could be pretty like you... Even when the other kids have teased you. I wish you thought you were beautiful, like I do."

Several more weeks passed before Graiya worked up the courage to tell Simka she liked him. They had spoken several times so far, but only about classroom things. Graiya chose to remain inside while the other children went out of doors for their recreation time. It was Simka's habit to stay in alone, and he seemed nervous to have company. When the free time was almost up, Graiya at last approached Simka's desk and said hello. At first, the boy didn't even look up from his book because he was so involved in what he was reading. When he did look up, he was obviously nervous.

"Hi," he whispered. Graiya waited for him to say more, and when he didn't, she went on herself.

"I like to read a lot, too. You always miss recess, though. I kept waiting for you to come out there with the rest of us and you never did. So today I stayed in instead."

"Why is it so important for you to talk to me? Nobody else cares about me." Simka sounded so suspicious of Graiya's intentions that she hesitated, afraid to make a reply.

"Well... somebody should get to know you, shouldn't they? You seem so shy and lonely. I get pretty shy too, so I thought... If your book is more important, I can go..."

"No, you can stay." Simla said quietly, realizing he'd hurt Graiya's feelings. "I've never had many friends, that's all. Being the new kid never helps."

"You won't be the new kid forever. I would like to be your friend, Simka. Actually, I think you're really very..." Graiya felt so awkward that she couldn't bring herself to say the last word. From the way Aya refused to look at him now, Simka could tell what she meant, and he blushed deeply, all the way to the roots of his bright red hair.

"Nobody's even tried to tell me that before," he said softly. He was flattered, but also very embarrassed, and so Simka changed the subject to Graiya's family, asking her what her parents did, and if she was an only child. Once she got to talking about her family, Graiya stopped feeling awkward and began to open up, telling Simka about her nuclear family as well as her aunt, uncle and cousin.

Simka shared a few details of his own family life, mostly that he was an only child who had always wished for a sibling to keep him company. Graiya felt badly that Simka was so lonely, and told him how lucky she'd always felt to have her sisters around.

"Who's that girl I've seen you say goodbye to in the mornings? Is it your sister, or your cousin?"

. "It's my little sister, Stavna. She'll only be one grade behind me next year, but she's three years younger than me. Why, what about her?"

"Well, I've noticed her. I know she's younger, but she is really pretty, and if she's nice like you, then... Maybe you could introduce me to her sometime?"

Sudden anger flashed in Graiya's eyes, and began to boil inside her. "Is that the only reason you talked to me? So you could ask me to introduce you to my little sister!?" The book Simka had been reading suddenly flew off the top of his desk, hurtled across the room, hit the far wall and landed on the floor with a loud thud. When Simka's desk also began to move, he rose from his chair and took several steps backward.

"No, that's not the only reason," he said nervously. "I do think you're nice, it isn't that I don't like you, Graiya. I just don't like you the way you wish I did. I guess all I can say is that I'm sorry I think your sister is pretty... But I do."

"Because you think I'm UGLY! Is that it?"

Simka now went from being nervous to being frightened as the very air around him filled with energy he could feel. Like something alive that wanted to touch him. To strike back at him for the things he was saying. Looking into Graiya's eyes, he could see that this force, whatever it was, was coming from her... and that she was almost as afraid of its power as he was.

"No, I never thought that. I said I do want to be your friend. If I thought you were ugly, or scary or whatever, why would I want to be friends?"

"Because of my sister! The pretty one, remember?? If you like her that much, you can introduce yourself to her. Leave me out of it!"

Simultaneously, Simka's desk toppled to the floor with a crash, and he felt himself being pushed toward the wall by invisible hands. He braced himself for an impact that never came. He stopped just short of the wall and looked around in time to see Graiya running out of the classroom. He wanted to call after her but didn't dare. Simka knew he was the last person Graiya wanted to hear from right now. He was still setting his desk and other things to rights when the teacher returned to the indoors with the rest of the class. As Simka feared, the instructor immediately asked him what had happened. After an explanation that was as brief as Simka could make it, the teacher hurriedly told everyone to take their seats and asked a fellow teacher who had a free period to keep an eye on the class before leaving to find out where Graiya had gone.

Since this particular teacher had known Graiya since only the second year she had been at school, she knew the girl's favorite places on the grounds. Therefore, after only a short search, the teacher found Graiya sitting alone in the back of the music room. Classes were over by this time of day, but Graiya often came here to listen to her sister's class when they were practicing. Graiya was not seated at one of the desks. Instead, she was huddled on the floor, in a corner. Her head rested on her knees, and her shoulders shook with sobs. The instructor waited for Graiya to notice her, which took several minutes.

"Ms. Galliman... How come you followed me here?"

"Simka told me what happened. I'm sorry, Aya. We can just stay here a few minutes until you're feeling better. Simka did ask me to tell you he's sorry he hurt your feelings."

Before Graiya could reply, the piano bench across the room came crashing down, its lid opening in the process, sending many loose pages of sheet music fluttering to the floor. Graiya looked frightened, knowing she'd made that happen.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to do that. When I got mad at Simka, things like that started happening. My mama has always had things happen to her like that. But I never..."

"Aya, it's all right. I'm not afraid. I've never been afraid of your magic, you know that. Is there something I can do to help you feel better?"

Graiya sighed, suddenly looking very tired. "I don't know," she replied in a small voice, wiping away her tears and rising from the floor. "I better clean up the mess, though."

Ms. Galliman put a hand on Graiya's arm to stop her. "Graiya, don't worry about it. I can take care of it later, before I go home. You're very upset. Don't you want to talk about it?"

"No I don't!" Graiya answered immediately. "I'd like to clean up the mess I've made, if you don't mind!" Graiya had never been so snappish wih a teacher before, let alone Ms. Galliman, who was more like a friend than an instructor at times.

"Aya, why are you getting mad at me? I'm not the one that hurt your feelings."

This made Graiya pause, her eyes suddenly filling with tears again. "I know. I'm not mad at you, I just... I don't understand what's happening to me! I've never been able to do things like I've done today... I'm not doing them on purpose, and I don't know how to make it stop!"

"Aya, would you like me to send someone to fetch your mother? I think she's the one you need to talk to."

"I do," Graiya whispered, beginning to cry. "But where she works isn't far, and my day is almost over. Can't you give me permission to leave early? I don't want Mama to show up and have the other kids start laughing at me because I'm such a baby. Please can't I go?"

"Yes. You won't be in trouble, I promise. I'll see you tomorrow, Aya."

Graiya was still so angry about what had happened with Simka that she neglected to go back for her coat. Therefore, she was shocked by the stiff wind when she stepped outside. This made her walk that much faster to where her mother worked. When she arrived, she was told by another staff member that Elphaba had spent the entire day in a meeting, and once it had at last concluded, she'd been allowed to go home. Graiya had only another short way to go to reach home, and as soon as she drew near, she saw the light on in the kitchen, which helped to dispel some of her bad feelings. She knew her mother must be getting dinner ready, which was a welcome matter of routine. When Graiya stepped inside, she wasn't able to smile, but at least she felt ready to try.

"Hi, Mama. You're home early. Are you feeling all right?"

"Fine. You're early too. What happened?"

Graiya sighed, her reply sounding sad rather than angry. "If you already know, why are you asking? I really don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"I think you do," Elphaba said gently. "But I can wait until you're ready. Grandpapa took Tali over to visit at Aunt Glinda's, but they should be back in a while. Papa and Stavna should be home soon too."

At the mention of Stavna's name, a pair of the glasses Elphaba had placed on the counter to be set out with the dinner dishes shattered almost explosively, without falling to the floor. Elphaba immediately stopped what she was doing to see if any of the glass had flown far enough to cut Graiya as she sat at the table.

"I'm okay, Mama," she said in a shaky voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't... Did I hurt you?"

"I know you didn't mean to. I'm fine, I promise. Will you tell me now why you're so angry at your little sister? Did you two have a fight this morning? You almost never fight."

"No, we didn't argue. I... I'd like to talk about it with Papa instead, okay? When he gets home, I can tell him."

Though Elphaba was a little hurt by Graiya's unwillingness to open up to her, she accepted the girl's wishes without complaint, then asked for help in cleaning up the broken glass. Only once this was done did Elphaba return to preparing dinner. Not long afterward, the rest of the family returned home. At the sight of Stavna, Graiya invited Tali into her room to play. They were in there only a few minutes when Stavna came knocking.

"Aya, can I come in too? I have something to tell you about school today."

"Go away!" Graiya said this in a tone that Stavna had never heard from her sister before, not even on the rare occasion that they argued. Though the younger girl was afraid to speak up, she just had to try again.

"Please, Aya? Why are you mad, what did I do?"

"I said go away!" Stavna was sure she could hear tears in her sister's voice now. "If you want company, go to Simka's house. He'd be really happy to see you, that's for sure!"

With just these few words, Stavna was able to tell what must have happened earlier in the day. Her eyes filled with tears as she backed away from the door. "Aya, I'm sorry." Stavna said this too softly for anyone to hear, then began to cry in earnest as she went in search of her mother, who was setting the table for dinner without holding out much hope that anyone would be eating it. She looked up as soon as Stavna entered the room.

"Mama, Aya is really mad at me. The way she talked, it sounded like... like hate. It's because of that boy, today at school. Aya was going to tell him she liked him. He must have said he... He likes me instead. I didn't know he'd say that!." Stavna was crying too hard to go on. Elphaba silently took her by the hand and walked with her to the master bedroom and locked the door behind them. As they entered, Elphaba saw Fiyero knocking at Graiya's door, telling her sternly to open up. Clearly he had heard the way Graiya had spoken to her sister. Since Aya had intended to speak to her father anyway, Elphaba felt comfortable leaving them to manage on their own and focusing all of her attention on Stavna, who was just now calming herself and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Mama, what are we doing in here? I never come in here unless..."

"Unless I'm not feeling well, I know. I'm fine, I just have something to show you. Sit down, dearest. I need to get them first."

Stavna watched with a puzzled expression as her mother went to the large closet and reached for something on the top shelf. When Elphaba got the box from its place of safekeeping, she handled it so tenderly that Stavna was instantly intrigued.

"Mama, what's in there?' Stavna spoke in a whisper without realizing it. Elphaba carefully put the box down on the bed and lifted the lid, then sat down. Stavna peered inside the box and immediately became excited.

"Oh Mama, they're so pretty! I've never seen shoes like that. Why don't you ever wear them?"

"I can't. They aren't mine, they don't fit me."

Stavna couldn't suppress a giggle. "Mama, why would you keep someone else's shoes that you can't even wear?"

"They belonged to my sister," Elphaba said simply, allowing the meaning of her words to sink in before going on. "They're all I have that was hers. I know you and Graiya will make up, what happened isn't your fault. But I want you to know some things about me and my sister, so you'll always know how lucky you are to have such a loving sister. From the day you were born, Graiya has helped take care of you, protected you. When you needed to, you've protected her too. I'm so glad to see the bond the two of you have, because your Aunt Nessa and I... Well, our relationship was usually the opposite, from the day she was born."

Graiya and Fiyero's discussion took longer to actually get underway, but once they were both sitting on Graiya's bed, she slowly began to open up. She told her father about everything that had happened at school that day, and how frightened she was by her increasing magical power. She also explained in painful detail how hurt she'd been when it seemed like Simka had rejected her because of her skin color.

"Aya, you can't be sure that's the reason. If it is, you know he's wrong. You're a beautiful girl, Aya. Even if you can't see it yet. And I don't want to see you holding this against your sister. She didn't know Simka felt that way, or she wouldn't have encouraged you to talk to him. She'd never want to see you hurt like that."

"I know," Graiya whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "I can apologize later. Okay?"

Fiyero agreed to this, and then the conversation came to an end as Talissana stopped playing with her toys and loudly announced that she was hungry. The three of them went to the kitchen, where Fiyero put the food, which had gone cold, back on the stove. Once it was ready, he called to the rest of the family. Stavna and Elphaba came to the table looking slightly weepy, but they didn't tell anyone else what they had been talking about.

Later that night, all three girls decided to sleep in Graiya's room. It was cramped, and Talissana kept the blanket for herself rather than sharing it with Stavna. But otherwise, they had a lot of fun staying up talking and laughing, even though Graiya and Stavna were sure to regret it in the morning when they had to get up for school. Talissana was the first to drop off to sleep, soon followed by Stavna. Graiya lay awake very late thinking about what had happened that day. As she finally began to drift off, she was sure she heard her father calling her mother's name in the next room. Within seconds, Graiya got out of bed to investigate. She normally paused to knock before entering, but she didn't this time. Because now that she'd come closer, Graiya could tell her father was crying.

"Elphaba, wake up. Please wake up. Please!"

Very frightened now, Graiya hesitated to leave the doorway and walk any closer. But she had to ask... She had to know.

"Papa, is Mama... Is she dead?"

Fiyero turned his tear-streaked face to his child, honestly surprised to see her since he had been paying attention to nothing other than his wife's condition. "No, no she's not. But she won't open her eyes, and she's barely breathing. She was fine when we fell asleep. I don't know why this is happening! It's never hit her this suddenly before."

"It's time," Graiya whispered, so softly that her father could not hear. "She said I would know." She went ion after a moment, more loudly now. "I can make her better, Papa. I know what to do. I know exactly what to do."


	19. Chapter 17

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my friend Dee. Getting to know her has been an incredibly sweet experience. She has a heart as gentle and compassionate as Elphaba does. I'm so thankful for all of the ways she has blessed my life.

Chapter 17

It took Graiya only a moment or two to hurry to her room and retrieve her spellbook. Since she had been working on the spell for months and gone over every detail innumerable times, Graiya knew there was even less reason to hesitate. She opened the book, focused intently on the exact page she needed, and began to read what she had written in perfect script.

Before Graiya even looked up from the page, she could tell her mother was recovering. Her breathing became easier, and Fiyero called out excitedly when she opened her eyes. When Graiya reached the last word of the spell, she closed the book and sank onto her parents' bed, her expression solemn and tired. Her father came over and knelt in front of her, hugging her tightly.

"It worked, Aya. Mama is fine now, can you see?"

"I see," Graiya said, glancing only briefly at her mother. "I'm so glad Mama is better... but I'm suddenly so tired, Papa. I should go..."

At the tone in Graiya's voice, Elphaba spoke up with a touch of urgency. "Stay, Graiya. Just for a few minutes. I want you to know, what you just did worked perfectly. After all these years, the pain I've felt because of the curse is completely gone. And look."

Without difficulty or hesitation, Elphaba got out of bed and walked close to her daughter, taking her face tenderly into her hands. "You see? Now, I know you're tired, I can even see it in your eyes. Why don't you go back to bed? We can talk in the morning. Thank you, Graiya. That's hardly all I should say, but..."

Graiya looked intensely uncomfortable. "That's okay, Mama. Thank you is enough. And you're welcome. Good night."

Once Graiya had gone Fiyero turned to his wife, his expression puzzled.

"That's hardly the reaction I expected from her. She's not the type to indulge in pride, but I thought she'd be..."

"Happier. I know. She is happy. She's just being cautious. She isn't sure yet whether the spell really worked, or if it might have consequences she hasn't planned on. But of course she's glad. She knows what she's done for me. She's been working on that spell for months."

"I know. She worked very hard, and it isn't that I don't trust her. But don't you think..."

"Of course I think we should keep an eye on her," Elphaba said quietly, without anger. "She isn't the only one that knows there might be unexpected consequences. I'm as afraid for her as you are. I couldn't have told her not to do that spell. Not because it would help me... She needed to do this, to know that she could... To give her faith in herself. I knew the spell would work, Fiyero. And I think that mattered more to her than to me. She can trust her power more than I ever have. Can you understand that?"

"Yes. Are you tired, would you like to go back to sleep?"

"Not yet. I'm going to look in on the girls."

Without comment, Fiyero went with his wife as she checked on their children. Stavna and Talissana were soundly asleep. Only Graiya was still trying to get back to sleep. She watched silently when her parents entered the room. After covering Tali with her blanket, they walked over and each kissed Graiya on the forehead. None of them spoke, only looked each other in the eye. Once her parents left the room again, Graiya sighed, turned over, and quickly fell into slumber.

Over the next several days, Graiya became very withdrawn, and at first spent most of her time alone in her room. Elphaba had little trouble guessing at all of the confused, worried questions going through her daughter's mind. Her understanding didn't come as a result of telepathic powers. Elphaba understood because at one time she had cast a spell that made her ask herself some very difficult questions. Had she done the right thing? Had she only done it for selfish reasons? Could she live with the consequences?

All of these things, Elphaba was sure, were going through Graiya's mind. After almost a week of Graiya's quiet, hermit-like behavior, Elphaba could stand it no longer. She went to Graiya's bedroom door and opened it without knocking. When the knob turned so easily in her hand, Elphaba wondered how long Graiya had simply been waiting for someone to come to her.

As soon as her mother came into the room, Graiya looked up from the book she had been trying to read. "Hi," she said hesitantly. "What's wrong? Did I forget one of my chores or something?"

"No, nothing like that. We just need to talk. You've been so distant lately. You can talk to me, Aya, you know that. I know you're worried, and frightened. I think if we talked about it, you'd feel better. Please, Aya."

"No thank you, Mama. I... I really can't. Not with you." Graiya hurried on, seeing the hurt in her mother's eyes. "It isn't that I don't want to. Of course I do. But I know a little bit about all the complicated things that happened to you because of your own magic. I don't want to make this your problem too. You've never said very much about the magic, but I see it in your eyes sometimes... How it hurt you. So, I need to talk... But I can't."

Elphaba took a moment to compose herself before she replied, willing herself not to cry. "Yes you can, Aya. If you won't talk to me, then talk to Aunt Glinda. I don't want you to keep everything inside. It's not good for you, darling heart."

"But... won't you be angry if I talk to her instead of you?" Graiya sounded so afraid, so vulnerable, that Elphaba could keep the tears from her eyes no longer.

"How can I be angry, if it's the one thing that can help you? Don't worry about me, I want you to do it. She's been worried about you too, you know. When she came by yesterday, you wouldn't even join us long enough to say hello. She'd be so glad to see you now."

"Okay," Graiya spoke in a whisper, but it was a decisive one. "I'll be home as soon as I can. Mama. I'm really not sure..."

"I know. It's not as if Aunt Glinda will mind if you stay a while. Go on now, I'll see you when you get home."

Graiya stood up from her bed, but still hesitated in the doorway as she left the room. "I'm sorry it's not you that can help me this time, Mama. I don't want you to think I love you less because I can't talk about this with you."

"Never. I could never think that. Stop worrying about me, please Aya. Right now all you need is to take care of yourself."

"Okay. I'll see you soon Mama. I love you."

When Graiya arrived at her aunt's house, she was surprised to find that Glinda was the only one at home. Travion and Olive had gone out for a father-daughter day and were not expected back any time soon. One look at Graiya's face told Glinda her niece had much on her mind. They went quietly upstairs to Glinda's suite of rooms, where she felt most comfortable.

"Did something happen at home, Aya? Your mother and I had a nice long talk yesterday, everything seemed fine. I was disappointed you didn't come say hello. What is it? Is your mother...?"

"She's fine. This isn't about her. Well, not exactly it isn't. It's complicated. Mama said I should come talk to you because I didn't feel comfortable talking to her."

"About the magic, you mean. That's it, isn't it?"

Graiya looked surprised, but quickly nodded. "How did you know that?"

"I know because you're so much like your mother. So very much. But Aya, I don't think she's ever talked to you about her experiences with magic. So how did you know you shouldn't talk to her about it?"

"I just know." Graiya said with a shrug. "You're right, she never says much. But I can see in her eyes how she feels."

"And how do you feel about what you did for your mother? You saved her life you know."

Graiya shifted uncomfortably. "I know I did, but... Aunt Glinda, I've been thinking that maybe I shouldn't have. Not that I didn't want to. But what if Mama was supposed to... Well, what if I interfered with something I wasn't meant to?"

"That maybe you did it just because you were afraid to let her go, is that it?"

Graiya's face filled with wonder at her aunt's question. "How do you know all this already? Can you read my mind too, all of a sudden?"

Glinda laughed softly to herself before replying. "No, nothing like that. It's because I think feeling like you do is almost inevitable. But Aya, if you hadn't done what you did, your mama would be dead now. She had gotten so much weaker over the years, she could only fight the curse so long. That's why you really need to try not to worry that you did the wrong thing. Your mother's life was slowly being taken from her because someone else decided they wanted her dead. It wasn't their right to do that to her. But they made a choice, and so did you. You did it because you love your mother so much. You had the power to help her. Even I couldn't do what you did. Not even after all these years of practice. You did that spell for the opposite reason of the person that tried to kill your mother. You love her, he hates her. You have nothing to feel sorry for, Aya."

"Her father hates her. I know, she told me." Graiya's eyes filled with anger for a moment, until she looked over and saw how shaken Glinda was..

"She told you about him?" Glinda said breathlessly.

"Only that he was the one that put the curse on her. Well... she technically didn't tell me. I just knew, I felt it. So I asked her if it was true. Aunt Glinda, why is it bad that I know about him? It was a long time ago, I've never seen him. He's not my grandfather. I never want to know him, never want to see him. Mama doesn't want to see him again either. That's good enough for me."

"It isn't bad that you know, not exactly. It's just that I know more about the things he did to your mother, how very much he hurt her. And almost succeeded in ruining her life, making her lose everything. The thought that you even know the first thing about him is so... It makes me sad, Graiya."

"Does that mean you won't tell me anything more? I didn't dare ask Mama, but I did wonder then. After a while I kind of forgot about it. But now... Please tell me, Aunt Glinda. I'm not a baby anymore, and I'm not afraid. You said I'm nothing like him. Hearing about him won't change that. I'm just like Mama... You've always said so."

Glinda tried to smile, but tears came to her eyes instead. "I have, and you are. This isn't the place to talk about this. Come on, let's take a little walk." Glinda took the Grimmerie from its usual place of safekeeping as she prepared to leave the room. It was Graiya who hesitated.

"Why, where are we going?"

"To my rooms in the palace. Unless you'd really rather stay here."

Graiya shook her head and followed her aunt's lead. It was only a short distance to the palace, and neither of them spoke until they were settled in Glinda's quarters. Once they were both seated comfortably, Graiya spoke up with certainty.

"These used to be my grandfather's rooms. If you're so upset by even discussing him, why would you use the same space he did?"

"That's a very fair question. Once I came to power here, I thought by being in here, doing the things I've done all these years, would make things as they always should have been. That this would be a good place, instead of a bad one. For a long time, everyone thought your grandfather was a good person. But then your mother and I went to meet him, and everything changed."

Graiya looked confused for a moment before speaking. "Meet him? Mama never even knew her own father?"

"Not until that day. Maybe one day your mother can explain that part. But that day we met him, he and someone we thought we could trust had this," Here Glinda ran her hands over the Grimmerie's cover as it rested in her lap. "They asked your mother to use it, to cast a levitation spell on the monkeys at the palace. Your mother did it thinking that it would make the monkeys happy, but it was hurting them, she wanted to reverse it. Spells can't be reversed, so ever since then, the monkeys have had..."

"Wings," Graiya said in a stricken whisper. "But Aunt Glinda, Mama loves the Animals! My whole life, her job has been to help them! How come Mama didn't know they wanted her to do something bad, so she could have said no??"

"I don't know, I've wondered that myself. But what was done was done. Your mother felt horrible about it. She never would have cast that spell if she had known what it would really do. You believe that too, don't you? You know your mother, Graiya. You know what a good person she is."

Graiya's chin quivered as she replied. "I thought so, but..."

"There are no buts about it, Graya," Glinda said in the gentlest voice she could muster. ""You have to understand how dreadful your mama felt. She realized exactly why the wizard wanted her here, to use her for his own ends. She said no, she would never help him again. And after that, the wizard swore himself your mother's enemy. He wanted her found, and... and killed. Things after that get very complicated, but at one point I was so angry at her that I almost helped in her capture. But your father, he... He did everything he could to protect her and make sure she would be able to stay alive, to be safe somewhere. Even after the wizard knew your mama was his child, and knew where she was, he went to her only to try and kill her. With his own magic, cursing magic. So you see, there's no question in my mind as to who the good and bad ones were. As for me... I was a little of both. Sometimes on purpose, and sometimes not. The important thing is that I love your mother very much. We've been like sisters for so many years, since before you were born. If I have to I will sit here all day and explain things to you until you understand. Your mother is not a bad person, Graiya."

"I think I understand that now, Aunt Glinda. But... how can someone hate their own child like that, though? No matter how angry Papa might get at me, I know he could never hate me. Not really. I feel bad that Mama didn't have a father like she should have, until Grandpapa came along. Is that why you never get jealous that Mama wants to spend so much time with him? Because she has so much time to make up for?"

"Exactly." Tears came to Glinda's eyes as she went on. "How can I fault her for being happy to have the one thing she's always wanted? All of you girls, including Olive, have always been so lucky to have a father that will think of you first, and you know you can count on him to be there for you. You know your mama had a sister, but does she ever talk about her?"

"Not really... Once, a while ago with Stavna she did. But Avna wouldn't even tell me what they said afterwards. I asked Mama, but she started to cry, so I tried to forget about it."

Glinda hesitated so long that Graiya became apprehensive. "If you don't want to talk about it either, that's okay. Maybe Olive and Uncle Travion are home by now." Graiya rose from her seat and began to walk toward the doorway. Glinda called after the girl so loudly it startled them both.

"No! I should... I need to explain this to you, Aya. I have to hope you'll understand."

Graiya hesitantly walked back to where her aunt sat and knelt in front of her. "Understand what, Aunt Glinda? What did you do?"

Glinda hesitated just one more moment as she decided on what to say. In the end, she chose to be as direct as possible and get the worst over with.

"I'm partially responsible for your aunt being... well... murdered, the way she was. I didn't do it myself, but I helped it to happen. If I had known, I would never... Your mama loved her sister, and maybe given enough time, Nessa could have loved your mother back. It would have meant so much to her. And I destroyed any chance they could have had at a reconciliation. All because my feelings were hurt, and I wanted to get back at your mother."

"Wait a minute," Graiya said quickly, sounding angry rather than confused. "You get my aunt killed and my mother responds by letting you take her place?? That's got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard of! Why doesn't she hate you instead!?"

"That is a question, isn't it Aya?" Glinda sounded so surprised herself that it stopped Graiya's anger in its tracks. "I think the answer is that your mother is simply a more forgiving person than I could have hoped to be, at least back then. At every turn, she made the difficult choices, usually the wiser choices, and I... I followed other peoples' lead and couldn't think for myself. When Madame Morrible and the Wizard decided what they wanted to do about Nessa, I didn't know they were going to kill her. I would have stopped it if there had been any chance for me to do it. Your mother did hate me for it... But only for a while. She had lost so much already, and by that time I felt so alone myself. We had to spend a lot of time apart, none of us had any choice. During that time, I felt so guilty, and so very sorry. I knew that someday, I would find a way to help ease your mother's pain, give her something of your aunt's to hold onto. Finally, just the day before we were both to be married, I gave your mother..."

"Aunt Nessa's shoes. The ones she hides in her room. All Mama ever says is that she thought they were lost, that she would never see them again. She never told me you found them. You did that because you love her... Right? Because you're her friend and you felt so sorry."

"That's right. I'm sorry we've been talking so long, Aya. I've told you more than I really planned on. But your mother won't be angry, don't worry. If she asks you what we talked about, you can tell her the truth."

Graiya laughed softly. "Are you kidding? I know better than to lie to Mama. Besides, it's no fun anyway. She can just read my mind if she wants to find stuff out. I'm sorry I got mad at you. I really do love you, Aunt Glinda, and I'm glad you love my mother. I know she's happy you've been here, and that all of us are a family. You're happy for that too, aren't you?"

"Of course I am. Were you ready to go home now? I'm sure your mother would be happy to see you back so soon. Maybe you coulld ask her those other things about your grandfather that you're wondering."

"Maybe..." Graiya replied hestitantly as they both stood and quickly made their way out of the palace. "She never talks about my grandfather. She just thinks about him. She gets worried he'll come back and hurt us." Here Graiya paused to glance at her aunt. "Do you think that could happen, Aunt Glinda?"

"It could, but I don't think it will. It's been so many years now. He could be..."

"Dead?" Glinda looked surprised at her niece's directness, but nodded. "This isn't a nice thing to say, but for Mama's sake, I hope he is. And I hope she will know it, through her second sight or whatever. He's done enough to hurt her already."

Their conversation trailed off as Graiya reached home. Glinda used her key to admit them to the house, and they entered expecting to find the house full of activity. Instead, no one at all was in sight, and they heard sobbing coming from deeper inside the house.

"That's Mama," Graiya whispered nervously. "Will you stay, Aunt Glinda? Please?"

"Of course. Let's go find out what's happened. You can wait here for me, if that would be easier."

Graiya didn't take the time to remind her aunt of her ability of second sight. Instead, she simply answered that her mother needed her. They both went directly to the master bedroom, where the rest of the family had gathered. Talissana was curled up in her father's lap, while Stavna was pressed close to her mother's side. Graiya settled in on her mother's other side as Glinda approached Fiyero to ask him what had happened.

"Not long after Graiya left to come see you, there... there was a messenger that showed up here. He was sent to tell us that Taliesin passed away yesterday." Fiyero kept his voice in a whisper as he went on. "Of course we're all upset, but for Elphaba it's more than that. I think it will be best to let the children stay... If they leave she'll only feel worse. I'm not even sure what to say to her."

"Sometimes you don't have to say anything. I'm sure she's just glad you're here."

Stavna spoke up unexpectedly. "You can have my place, Papa," she said, making sure to speak up enough to be heard over Elphaba's sobbing. "I think Mama would like that."

Glinda took Talissana into her arms to allow Fiyero to go comfort his wife. Once he was beside her, with an arm around her shoulders, Elphaba's tears at last began to ease. They all sat quietly, letting the silence comfort them, stretching out for several minutes. When Elphaba at last looked around, her expression was puzzled.

"Where did Avna go? She was just here."

"I'll find her, Mama." Graiya volunteered immediately. "She can't be far. I'll be back."

Graiya started out looking for her sister in the younger girl's bedroom, but found her outside instead, sitting under the tree they both liked to climb so often. Graiya took a seat beside her and sat silently a moment before speaking up.

"I'm going to miss Taliesin too. And it's okay to cry if you want to."

"I didn't want to, not in front of Mama. She was so sad already..." Stavna went on in a rush, afraid to say what was on her mind. "Aya, I was supposed to go visit Taliesin last week, but I got so busy with schoolwork and stuff. Do you think he..."

"He wasn't mad at you, Stavna. He knew that we all loved him. Things happen, he understood that. You can ask Mama, she'll tell you the same thing."

"I believe you. But Aya, no one likes to hear me sing the way he does... did. He always loved to see us, I can't believe I'll never get to see him again." Here, Stavna at last began to weep.

"Me either," Graiya whispered, tears coming to her eyes. "It's going to be harder for Mama than for us. I'm not sure what will happen next, but we can try to help her. It always scares me to see Mama cry, though/."

Stavna nodded through her own tears. She and Graiya sat together a while longer, giving themselves time to call before returning to the house. Once there, they found their mother fast asleep, her face scalded by so much crying. Fiyero stayed beside her, propped up on one elbow and running a hand through his wife's hair even as she slept. Talissana, who had done most of her crying simply because of her mother's upset, was asleep in Glinda's arms. Not wanting to disturb any of them, Stavna and Graiya went to their own rooms to sit and think, and wonder what the next few days might hold.


	20. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Author's Note: This is the final chapter of this story. Though it wasn't intended that I'd take this long to finish the story, I hope this is a worthy conclusion. This chapter is dedicated to Stephanie, who is just beginning a journey that should be amazing.

**********

Over the next several days, Elphaba grew very withdrawn. At first, Fiyero and the children weren't overly concerned, since Elphaba always tended to keep to herself more when she was sad. But when she returned from the cremation ceremony and didn't speak to anyone for many hours, Fiyero worried that he had let his wife suffer in silence for too long. He went into the bedroom where Elphaba was resting without much hope of getting her to talk to him, but knew he had to try.

"Elphaba, why don't you come out of here for a while? I'm sure you aren't hungry, but the rest of us are about to sit down to dinner. We'd really like you to join us. The children have missed you. I've missed you. Please?"

Though Elphaba's eyes were open and it was clear she was listening, she made no reply. Fiyero waited patiently for her to make any kind of response, verbal or otherwise. When none was forthcoming, he sat down on the bed and took one of Elphaba's hands in his.

"Ivy, what exactly happened today? I mean... I'm sure the ceremony wasn't easy to go through. Anyone would be upset. But whatever is bothering you is something more. Isn't it?"

"Yes," Elphaba said after a brief hesitation. "I was surprised to be invited today, since there will be a memorial service in just a few days that we can all go to if we choose. I was honored to be asked, that isn't the problem. During the ceremony, I saw.... "

Elphaba fell silent again, getting up from the bed to go stand at the window. She stared out at the sunny day, and managed a small smile and a wave as Talissana noticed her standing in the window. The little girl then went back to the game she was playing, and Elphaba returned to her present conversation.

"What did you see, Ivy?" Fiyero asked gently.

Elphaba took a deep breath and did her best to speak firmly. "At first I thought my mind was playing a trick on me. Considering where I was, I thought that was causing me to see what I saw. But over the last few days, the vision hasn't gone away. I keep seeing it again." Elphaba decided she could delay a full explanation no longer, and turned around to look her husband in the eye as she continued.

"Fiyero, do you know if your mother is well?"

Fiyero was a bit taken aback by the question.... But not as much as he might have been if he didn't know Elphaba so well.

"My mother? Last I heard she was just fine, busy as ever but somehow still managing to drive Father to distraction on a regular basis. I can send a message to the castle. Unless you mean she's already..."

Elphaba took a moment to reply when she saw tears come to Fiyero's eyes. "No, not yet. I don't know what will happen, only that I saw her.... dead. If you wanted to go, see if there is something you can do, I can stay here with the children. My visions aren't always correct, remember?"

"You must think this one is, or you wouldn't be acting like this, would you?"

Elphaba's face grew warm with embarrassment, and she looked away again. "You're right. I'm sorry, I know I should have told you sooner. It was selfish. I couldn't save my sister, but maybe your mother doesn't have to.... I want you to go, Fiyero. Maybe it won't be too late."

"Are you sure it's all right if I go? It could be a while until I get back, and..."

"We'll be fine, Fiyero. The older girls are so busy with school, and Tali can come with me to work. We'll manage just fine. We'll all miss you, though."

"I'll miss you all, too. I think I'll ask the girls to come help me pack and break the news to them that way. I can be on my way to the castle by tonight."

**********

It was nearly two weeks until Fiyero returned home. He was happy to be home, but did not arrive bearing good news. Since it was past dinnertime when he arrived, he was able to sit down almost immediately to discuss things with Elphaba.

"How is your mother, Fiyero?" Elphaba questioned immediately. "Is she....?"

"No, not yet. She wasn't able to talk much, she was too weak. But Father and I were able to spend some time talking things over. Mother isn't expected to live much longer, but I thought I needed to come back and discuss this with you. Ivy, when.... Once my mother is gone, Father doesn't want to rule alone as King. He wants to abdicate. Which means we'd be expected to take over, immediately."

"Now? You mean take the children out of school, leave our jobs, the city and everything.... Right now?"

"Yes. I know this isn't the way you expected this to happen. Neither did I, and I am sorry. Father knows what he wants.... He's thought about it for a long time, longer than I would have guessed. As soon as he explained things to me, I knew what it would mean to you, how it would hurt you. So on the way home I did some thinking of my own. I'd be willing to decline the throne, if it would be better for us. I don't want you to be so unhappy."

"Fiyero, without us, who is there to take over? You have no siblings. I would think you have distant relatives somewhere. But all of your life you've known that the kingship would be your responsibilty one day. You're right in saying that I'm not happy that it's happening this soon. But if we have to go, we'll go. It will be so strange to leave the city. I was hoping Graiya and Stavna would be at university before we had to go. They love it here."

"So do you. And I hate to ask you to give it up. Especially the friends you've made.... And to leave half of our family behind."

Fiyero winced inwardly as his wife's face filled with pain. "That's true. Glinda will manage fine. She always does. The children will miss each other so much, though."

"And how will you manage, Elphaba? I know you're strong, you're still stronger than I am. But I won't ask you to give up your family. Our family.... Not when they mean so much to you."

"We'll have to make sure we visit now and then, that's all. Glinda's schedule gets so busy, but we can figure it out. Right now we have to think of your parents. Did you want all of us to come back to the castle with you now?"

"If you would. I know it won't be easy for the children, but I think it will help Father to see them. I think it might be too late for the girls to say good-bye to their grandmother, and I'm sorry for that. I wonder what they'll think of really being princesses."

"They're good girls... I think they'll adjust." Elphaba said sincerely. "I think I'll be the one you have to worry about. We've talked before about the day we'd take over the monarchy, but now.... Thinking about really being queen.... It seems so strange. What if the subjects don't like me? It will be hard enough for you being king without having people dislike your wife."

"My province is a peaceful place, Elphaba. The citizens aren't like that. At first they will love you because you are their queen.... But after a while I'm sure they will love you because of the kind of person you are."

"You're too kind to me, you know that, don't you?"

"I don't think that's possible, Elphaba." Fiyero said with a smile. "I want you to be happy, that's all. We'll take things one day at a time, see how they go. For now, Father needs us. It will be so strange for him without Mother. I'm afraid he'll feel so lost."

"From what I remember, my father was like that when my mother.... Well, I was only three then... How can I be sure if I'm remembering right..."

"Tell me, please? It must be important if you're bringing it up. Please?"

"I remember him, staying at home, crying for my mother. He'd spend time every day fussing over Nessa... He was so glad to have her with him. Father ignored me, so I'd sit and listen to everything. One day Nessa's nanny said she thought our house was too sad a place for Father to live. That he would sell it and we'd have to move away."

Fiyero asked no questions, made no sound at all. Instead, he waited for Elphaba to continue, sensing she had much more to say. "I thought, if we left, I'd forget all about my mother. I was so frightened, and when I was sure no one would hear, I would let myself cry. One day Father and the nanny took my sister out somewhere. There were servants in the house, but they hardly noticed me. So, I snuck into Mother's room. All of her things were still in there. Every last one. For a minute or two, it felt like she was there, and I actually waited for her to appear from somewhere, pick me up, and tell me everything was going to be all right. When that didn't happen, I started to cry.

"Father always brought pretty little things back for Mother when he traveled anywhere, and her table and everything were still covered with them. I walked over and looked at all of them, even touched some of them, but didn't dare pick anything up. Until I saw that little bottle sitting near the front. It looked so different than all the other things, and I could remember my mother holding it, unlike the other things that just sat there. So I picked it up and held it. I didn't stop crying right away, but I felt so much better. So comforted and peaceful.

"I sat down on the bed, which should have felt frightening because that was where my mother had.... Anyway, it felt anything but scary, or sad. I could feel her again, right there in the room. I laid back on the bedcover and pillows.... and that's when I could smell her. The way I still remember her.... This incredible, gentle smell of roses. I laid the bottle very carefully next to me and fell asleep. When I woke up, it was still right next to me.... And my father was standing there, watching me."

Elphaba was silent so long that Fiyero began to doubt that he wanted to hear anymore. The possibilities for what had happened raced through his mind. In the end, he had to know, and gently prompted his wife to tell him.

"I sat up right away, and waited for Father to start shouting at me. But he only looked at me, watching me as I climbed down from the bed and picked up the bottle. I held it out to him, still waiting for him to look angry, call me a name... anything. But he reached out, and closed my fingers around Mother's little bottle. I was still waiting to be yelled at because I'd almost never been allowed in Mother's room, let alone to touch her things. I started to say I was sorry, but Father said there was no need. I just stared at him. He'd hardly spoken to me since Mother had died, except to tell me that it was my fault Nessa wasn't perfect. My chin started quivering when I thought about what a mess everything was. My mother gone, my sister the way she was.... and it was my fault. When I actually burst into tears I was sure Father would yell and chase me out of the room.

"What he did instead is something I still don't understand. He reached down, and I was sure he was going to hurt me. Instead he.... He picked me up. He'd never done that before, and never did it again. I couldn't seem to stop myself from wrapping my arms around his neck, and he didn't try to push me away. He'd hardly ever touched me, and I was so surprised. I didn't know what it meant, if it meant anything. But he let me hold onto him, let me cry as long as I wanted. I cried so long that when I finally stopped I had marks all over my face. I looked up to try and see Father's face.... and he was crying too. I got scared because he'd never cried in front of me. Father seemed startled when he looked at me, enough to make him ask if I was in pain. All I remember saying then was to ask where my sister was.

"I went off to go help the nanny, who had already shown me how to hold Nessa. Out of all the people in the house, the nanny was the only one who seemed to like me.... sometimes. When she saw my face she frowned and said something under her breath I couldn't hear. All of my attention was focused on my sister after that. I cuddled her and talked to her. She was sleeping, but I pretended she was looking at me, because her eyes were just like Mother's. When I finally looked up, I saw Father watching us.... watching me. That was one of only a handful of times he ever smiled at me. He didn't say anything, but I must have understood that I'd finally done something he approved of. Because it was just about the only thing I did for years after that. I had to make the best of a horrible situation. Nessa was the only person I had to hang onto."

When Elphaba stopped speaking, she seemed so tired and sad that Fiyero hesitated to break the silence. They both sat still, neither of them feeling, for the moment, as if anyone else were in the room. The house was so quiet they were both sure all three of their daughters had gone of to sleep without good nights. Fiyero frowned when the next words his wife offered were ones of apology.

"What are you saying you're sorry for, Ivy? You needed to talk. I was here to listen. There's nothing to be sorry about."

"I'm sorry because I don't know where that came from. It hasn't got anything to do with all the things happening in our lives right now. It's not important, and I shouldn't..."

"Don't sit there and tell me what you shouldn't do." Fiyero sounded sad and a little angry at the same time. "No one should ever be told they can't talk about someone they love. You've never said so much about your mother, not in all the years we've known each other. I'm glad you did."

"Fiyero, all that rambling I did doesn't help us decide what to do now. It doesn't help anything. Now I feel sad, all over something that happened so long ago I shouldn't even be able to remember it. And it has nothing to do with now."

"It has EVERYTHING to do with right now! Ivy, don't you see what you were really telling me? You were telling me that you're afraid of so much change, that our family might not be the same now. And you're right. The difference is that no matter where we are, we still have each other, and our children. My mother is sick.... she's dying. My mother is also an old woman, Elphaba. My mother has had the privilege of GROWING old. Your mother was young, that makes a difference. Of course I'm sad, I have cried, and I will miss my mother. But she has been here to see me grow into a man, to see our family and love all of us. I haven't forgotten one of the first things you said, either. Elphaba, if you really don't want to move away, we can figure out a compromise. We don't have to sell the house and make it seem like we've never lived here. This house is ours. We've paid for it, and loved it. I don't want other people to live here, either. And they don't have to. This is our house."

"Fiyero, if we aren't living here what sense will it make to keep the house? Surely we can visit the city, but we can stay with Glinda then. We don't need the house."

"You do. We're going to keep it. And, I think, you will still spend part of the year living in it."

"Now you're not making sense. Visiting for a week or two, yes. Being queen isn't a part time proposition! We have to move. You'll be king, and as your wife I have no choice but to stand beside you as queen. It's not as if you'll move two days' ride away and rule alone, I'm not stupid enough to believe that!"

"The lady is still smarter than her husband." Fiyero said with a smile. "Elphaba, like I said, we can compromise. My province isn't a complicated place. As I said before, we are peaceful people. As long as they know the monarchy will pass to me as they've always expected, it will be fine. There will be things to deal with, but I'm sure far fewer than you imagine. So you tell me, what will make you happy? You tell me when or for how long you'll be comfortable being at the castle every year, and that's what we'll do. The rest of the time we can live here, like we always have. And we'll all be happy."

"I hope so." Elphaba said with a sigh. "I'm not sure yet exactly when I do or don't want to stay there. Of course we'll all go with you now, we should all be there. But there is something else I haven't told you about yet. I need to make a decision, and I'd like your opinion."

Fiyero's brow furrowed deeply. "What is it? Is something wrong with you, or the girls?"

"No, nothing like that. While you were gone, I went to the memorial service for Taliesin. It wasn't easy, but I really wanted to be there. When it ended and I was one of the last people lingering there, someone came up to talk to me. When they first spoke I was so involved in looking around at the trees and flowers surrounding the site that had been chosen for the service that I didn't turn around. When the person spoke again and I looked back I.... I wasn't even sure I'd be able to find my voice. Boq was there, and had been watching all of us from some distance away. He came to ask me a favor."

Fiyero scowled. "What could he want from you? After the way he joined the mob of people that wanted you dead so many years ago... Why would he be asking you for anything?"

"Please, let me finish. We didn't talk long, he seemed as nervous as I felt. He apologized to me for everything that happened then. I still don't know if I can take that at face value as being sincere. But he seemed so different, so sad. He called me by my name and asked me if I could help him, because he doesn't know who else to turn to. He said that he knows if he stays as he is now, he could live forever... If you call that living. He's all alone, he spends most of his time out in the forests. He has no friends or family. How he heard about the service and knew he'd find me there I can guess. People hear things. But the important thing is, he's asked me to use my magic to.... change him. To make it so he can die in peace. My first impulse was to say no. Thankfully, I stopped to think long enough to realize what it must have taken for him to come to me after what he'd felt about me. He only wants to have his life come to an end.... The way it would if he were still human. And I want to say yes, but..."

"You're afraid saying yes would be wrong." Elphaba nodded sadly in response to her husband's statement, but said nothing, waiting for him to continue. "Ivy, you didn't do anything wrong in the first place. You saved his life. And now, if he needs your help to have his life come to an end, I don't see anything wrong with that. Like you said, if he stays the way he is, he'll live forever. I can understand as well as you why he wouldn't want to do that. To do this for him will take compassion and mercy. I think you've got that covered."

Fiyero smiled and tried to laugh, but Elphaba scowled at him. "This isn't funny!" she snapped, getting up from her place beside her husband to stare out the window instead. Fiyero remained where he was and spoke quietly.

"I'm not laughing at you, Elphaba. You know me better than that. I was trying to lighten the mood... I'm sorry. Listen, Ivy, think of it this way... If your situations were reversed, if you were like Boq is and he had the power to help you, wouldn't you want him to?"

"Yes," Elphaba answered without hesitation. "Yes, I would. But I've been so careful to use my magic for the right things. To help people, save people. Not to.... to kill anyone."

"You're being too hard on yourself," Fiyero's voice was suddenly filled with anger. "Ivy, don't you understand? People aren't meant to live forever. It would be like punishment to put him through that. Things have been hard enough already. He isn't happy, he hasn't got anything to look foward to. If it takes using magic to help things end the way they should, then you should do it. I'd be proud of you if you did."

"Proud is hardly the word I would use, Fiyero. At best, I'd call it setting right something I shouldn't have done in the first place. Boq said he wanted me to meet him outside the city the day after tomorrow to tell him what I've decided. I invited him to come here but he said he would be too uncomfortable coming into the city."

"Then I'm coming with you," Fiyero stated decisively.

"What? Fiyero, I didn't tell you all of this as a way of suggesting that I need you to come along and hold my hand. I can manage. Now of all times you have to turn into the old-fashioined type. Really!"

"Now who's being funny? I'm not saying you need me to go. I'm saying I want to go. I'd feel bad, leaving you to go through that alone, that's all. Please?"

"You can, if you want to. It's... it's sweet of you, really. Everything feels so awkward. I hope I won't regret saying yes to Boq's request. He seemed so desperate, and he has no one else to ask."

"You have decided, then. I'm glad, Elphaba. For what it's worth, I don't think you will be making a mistake. You'll finally be able to let go of your regrets over him. You deserve that."

**********

When the day of the meeting with Boq arrived, both Elphaba and Fiyero rose very early. Their anxiety was very clear to the children, who in turn grew nervous to see their parents leave. Particularly Talissana, who had grown used to spending so many days a week with her mother. The older girls asked what was going on, but received no answer. Graiya and Stavna returned to the older girl's room, where Talissana was waiting for them.

"Did Mama tell you something?" Talissana looked anxious and frightened, but did her best to hide it so she wouldn't seem like such a baby.

"Nothing," Graiya said, sounding a bit angry. "I heard Papa say Grandpapa will be coming, and that's good news, but..."

"Aya, I'm a little scared," Stavna admitted. "Mama and Papa always explain things to us, even if we can't go where they're going. Mama's eyes look so sad... I wonder what's wrong. Do you think she's sick again, like she used to be?"

"No, this is something else. Something important. I'm afraid she'll get hurt, whatever it is."

"Then you talk to her, Graiya. She listens to you. Maybe she won't leave if you tell her you're worried." Stavna sounded hopeful that this was just the solution to their anxieties. This hope was immediately dashed when Graiya shook her head.

"She listens to all of us. But it isn't our place to ask her to stay. I haven't had any visions of what might happen, just a bad feeling. We'll be safe here with Grandpapa, and Mama isn't going alone. We'll just have to wait until they get home and see what they say."

"If you think so. Where do you think they're going?"

"I'm not sure." Graiya's voice dropped to a whisper, just in case her parents might overhear. "But I heard Mama say they're hoping to be back tonight. It can't be far."

"I want to go with Mama!" Talissana spoke up suddenly, her eyes filling with tears she couldn't hide. Graiya sat beside her on the bed and pulled her close.

"Papa is going, Tali. Mama will be fine. I bet she will be home to tuck you in tonight."

"You said you're worried too! You don't know she'll be fine. Why do you lie to me, because I'm little??"

"No. It's not really lying, just... hoping. Because I'm a little scared too."

"You? I never thought you got scared. You're so big. Who will tuck me in tonight if Mama and Papa don't come home?"

"Grandpapa can do it, Tali. He likes to. And he tells us great stories, doesn't he?"

Talissana smiled brightly. "He makes up the best ones. I think it's funny you and Avna still like to listen, when you're so grown up!"

"Sometimes it's fun not to act like a big girl," Stavna said with a sigh. "When Mama and Papa get home, we'll have to go to the castle for a while. We'll have to be very grown-up girls when we're there."

"Avna, why is everyone so sad about going there? It's fun to visit Nan and Poppy. They like us to come." Talissana was very confused, but Stavna didn't feel able to explain that their grandmother was dying. Instead, she told her sister simply that their grandmother was very sick. This seemed enough to satisfy Talissana's curiousity. Soon after this, Elphaba and Fiyero came into the room to say goodbye.

Graiya and Stavna said their goodbyes quickly and quietly, wanting to get them over with. It was Talissana who spoke up, unwilling to let them go so easily. She clung to her mother, not shedding any tears but sounding very frightened.

"Mama, I don't want you to go! What if something bad happens? Can't you stay? I'll be good, I promise!"

Elphaba knew all of the children were so nervous because they were picking it up from her. She felt sorry, but knew it was too late to change that much now. She hugged Talissana tightly and kissed her forehead.

"I know you'd be good. You can be, for Grandpapa today. I need to go help someone, with something very important. I will be home soon. Try not to be afraid, and I'll be home before you know it."

At this point, Talissana knew there was no point to arguing or trying to convince her mother of anything. There were hugs all around once more, and then Elphaba and Fiyero took their leave. The girls came out into the living room to watch out the window as the carriage pulled away. They all realized that their grandfather had arrived, apparently while the family was saying their goodbyes. He sat quietly on the couch, watching his granddaughters' anxious faces as the carriage disappeared from view.

**********

Elphaba and Fiyero didn't have to travel far outside the city to reach Boq's tiny self-made home. They reached it well before the noon hour, and thought they might find him waiting outside for them. But he was nowhere in sight, and the house looked sad and empty.

Fiyero frowned in apprehension. "Maybe he's not here, Elphaba. Are you sure..."

"He must be inside. He promised to be at home, I'm sure we have the right place. Come on, I'll change my mind if we don't do this now."

Elphaba tried to push away her reservations as they approached the door of Boq's tiny home. She knocked, and heard a quiet voice from inside tell her to enter. She tried the door and found it unlocked. Still, she entered hesitantly, Fiyero immediately at her heels.

The house, if it could be called that, was not much more than a single room, dimly lit with candles. Though it looked clean and neat, the few things inside looked shabby and well-used. Boq sat in a chair that rested against the far wall. Though he surely heard his guests enter, he didn't speak until Elphaba called out his name.

"I'm surprised you came," he whispered. "But I'm glad. Even if your answer is no, I'm glad to see you. I'm sorry for the look of the place. I never have company."

"It's all right, I don't mind." Elphaba took a couple of steps closer, hoping Boq would look her in the eye rather than avoiding her gaze. "I promised to give you my answer in person, so I'm here. If you're certain you want it, my answer is yes."

Boq immediately looked up, his expression surprised but happy. "Really? I never though you'd... I was so nervous to ask because I was sure you'd say no."

"I thought about it," Elphaba admitted quietly. "But I decided that it's the least I can do, since I... Since it's my fault you're like this in the first place."

"That's one of the reasons I wanted you to come here in person. I used to blame you; I hated you for making me this way. But I have had years to think about things, to understand things better. I realize now that you only did what you thought was best. Things didn't turn out as either of us hoped they would. I'm sorry for what happened to your... For what happened to Nessarose. For as much as I resented the way she treated me, I never wished that she would die. I hope you have at least made a good life for yorself, Elphaba."

Boq suddenly seemed intensely uncomfortable, as if he were afraid Elphaba would be offended by his words. To fill the awkward silence, he invited his guests in properly and asked them to sit down. There were just enough chairs to go around. For the first time, Boq displayed curiousity as to why Fiyero had come along.

"I'm even more surprised to see you," Boq said quietly, then hurried on to an explanation when he realized how the statement sounded. "Not that I mind, it's just strange seeing you. Both of you. At one time I heard that the two of you had married."

"Yes, we are," Elphaba answered immediately, taking Fiyero's hand and squeezing it gently. "We've been living in the city for years now. The whole family loves it there."

"Family?" Boq's voice dropped to a whisper. Elphaba was surprised by the obvious happiness in his voice. "You have children?"

"Three daughters," Fiyero said proudly. "Our oldest will be ready for university in just a few years. She'll be fourteen soon. Our middle girl Stavna is almost eleven, and our little one, Talissana, will be five in a few months."

"Talissana? Is she named after...?"

"Yes," Elphaba replied quietly. "It felt right to name her after the Doctor. He liked it, he was very fond of the children. They were upset to be left at home today, Talissana especially wanted to come along."

"I would have been happy to meet them. Elphaba, do any of your children have magical ability like you do?"

"Yes," Elphaba responded after a brief hesitation. "Yes, they all do in different ways. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Boq's voice was as offhand as he could make it, as a smile crept onto his face. "You thought I was going to ask if any of the children have green skin, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." Elphaba looked away for a moment, her face growing warm with embarrassment. When she looked back, she went on quietly, her voice suddenly filled with the sound of tears.

"But the answer to that is also yes. Our eldest, Graiya, looks just like me. She's a good girl, very kind and gentle. All of the girls are fortunate to have that disposition. But Graiya has had a difficult time of it, to use a polite word."

"Why? What's happened to her?" Boq sounded genuinely interested, looking intently at Elphaba's face. But she seemed uncertain, and didn't answer his question.

"I appreciate your concern." Elphaba's voice was stiff, quite unlike her usual tone. "But we didn't come here to talk about our family. I've agreed to help you, I think that's enough."

Both Fiyero and Boq were puzzled by Elphaba's reaction, but Boq seemed determined to know, and spoke up again without hesitation.

"I'm asking because I want to know, Elphaba. You need to understand, I've been so isolated here. Even though I'm not far from the city, I've gone out iof my way to avoid people all these years. I know you have regrets about the spell you cast on me. Have you stopped to think that I might have regrets of my own? That I might wish I hadn't said the cruel things I said about you? And that I had chosen more wisely and not cut myself off from the world? I wish for both of those things. I can't go back and change things. But I can do my best to care now, to listen to both of you. It's been so many years since I had conversation like this. It feels good. And if I'm about to... Well, this is the only chance I have to make up for anything I did. What's wrong with wanting to do that?"

"Nothing," Elphaba's voice was filled with shame. "I'm sorry. I hadn't thought of it that way. But doesn't it hurt more hearing about all the things you've missed?"

"Not anymore. I'm at peace with the decision I've made, and all I want is to feel part of things again, even if it's only for a little while. You don't think that's too much to ask, do you?"

Elphaba shook her head, and Boq went on. "So please, tell me about Graiya. What happened to her?"

"There have been several things, really. The worst was when Graiya was only nine years old. She had been having trouble with bullies at school, and one day when Graiya was walking around the city, she got beaten up. By whom we never did know exactly, but we can suppose it was some children that knew her. She had broken ribs and a serious head injury. If not for my magic, she may not have survived that."

"I'm sorry," Boq's tone was quiet and breathless. "I know that was several years ago now. How is she? Did everything turn out all right?"

"She's very well. She's a strong one, our Graiya. Takes after her mother." Fiyero replied with a smile. Elphaba seemed embarrassed by the compliment but said nothing. After a moment or two of silence, Boq asked a question that surprised no one.

"What about Glinda? Is she doing well? Of course I know she's in charge of things in the city. That's part of why I've been careful to stay away... It would feel so strange, and seeing her would be... Anyway, how is she?"

"Fine," Elphaba replied gently. "She's married too, and has a daughter who is twelve now."

"It's strange to think of her being a mother. I'm happy for her, though. I had to give up hope of having a life like that a long time ago. I still think about her a lot,. And wonder what could have been. That sounds ridiculous. All I have is my memories, so I hope I can be forgiven for that much."

Tears came to Elphaba's eyes as she replied. "Everyone has things they'll always wish for that they'll never have. I didn't have a chance to talk to Glinda about this visit before I left. But if you like, I can explain it all to her when I get home, and give her a message from you."

Boq looked surprised for a moment. Then, much to Elphaba and Fiyero's surprise, Boq shook his head. "I'm sure she has a happy life. Whatever I might have wanted, she never really cared about me. Things are better left as they are."

The trio spent a good while longer talking about everything imaginable. As the afternoon shadows grew long, Boq's face filled with a surprising calm, and he asked Elphaba if she was ready to attempt the spell that she had come to perform.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I think. Is there somewhere more comfortable you'd like to sit, or..."

"Right here is fine. Whenever you're ready to start, go ahead. Don't... Don't you need the spellbook?"

"No. I memorized the spell at home so I wouldn't have to bring the Grimmerie. Glinda usually has it, anyway. Would you mind closing your eyes? It might make this easier."

Boq did as requested. Fiyero walked to where Elphaba stood and took her hand. "Ivy, are you sure about this? Are you sure you're ready?"

"I gave him my word. We can't stay here all day, and he's ready. It might be better if you let go of my hand until I'm finished. I can focus my magic very well, but..."

"I understand," he released her hand without another word and stepped back, though not out of fear. The words to the spell were surprisingly few, and the change in Boq's outward appearance was immediately obvious. The tin he'd been made of turned back to flesh. Boq made no sound, just slumped suddenly in his chair. He had kept his eyes closed as Elphaba had asked. When she stopped speaking the words of the spell, both she and Fiyero knew Boq would never open his eyes again. Elphaba began to cry softly as Fiyero returned to his place beside her.

"He can be at peace now, Ivy. It happened so fast... And I thought you always said spells can't be reversed."

"They can't, and I didn't. His outer appearance is normal... but he still has no heart. That's why he went so fast."

"I see. Are you going to be all right?"

"In a few minutes. We can't just leave him in here. Someone should...."

"I'll take care of it. You stay here, give yourself time to calm down. As long as you need. We won't leave until you're ready."

Elphaba said nothing, and would normally have resented being spoken to in such a way. This time, though, she appreciated it because she was very upset, her face streaming with tears. She turned away as Fiyero took Boq's body outside the house. Fiyero returned to the house once, and left again with a blanket in his hands. Moments later, Elphaba could hear the sounds of digging coming from outside. She didn't know or even wonder where Fiyero might have found a shovel. Elphaba resisted the urge to cover her ears, forcing herself to listen to the sounds of Boq being buried.

Despite Fiyero's reassurances, Elphaba did not feel at peace with what she had done. Even though it had been what Boq had wanted, it all felt very wrong. Now it was too late to go back, to make a different decision. She didn't feel like a person who had taken mercy on an old friend. She felt like a murderer. Her weeping hadn't eased when Fiyero finally came back inside. He immediately became alarmed by Elphaba's appearance and behavior. He went to where she sat and knelt in front of her, folding both of her hands in his.

"Elphaba, please try to stop crying now. It has to be causing you pain. I know how you must be feeling. I know you well enough that you don't have to tell me. You have to try not to regret this. It's what he wanted. I don't hate you for what you did, and you shouldn't hate yourself. You feel like you did the wrong thing, I know. But you gave him peace, and that's good. No one else could have helped him, not really. You wouldn't have wanted him to go on being so lonely and sad, to go on living a life that would have gone on forever without that spell."

Elphaba gave no sign that she had heard a word Fiyero had said, and suddenly his temper flared. He squeezed Elphaba's hands tightly.

"Are you even listening to me? I'm not saying you couldn't have made a different choice; Of course you could. I'm saying I think you made the right choice. I couldn't have been brave enough to do what you did. You've always made the difficult choices, Elphaba. It makes me proud."

At last, Elphaba's tears began to ease, and she looked Fiyero in the eye. "I'm not going to feel good about this, Fiyero. Boq is dead now, and that isn't a happy thing."

"I'm not asking you to feel happy, Ivy. Only to try and understand that you shouldn't feel like a bad person. You are a very good person, a better person than I am. Someone who didn't care as much as you would have said no to Boq. I think you know that. And Riordan won't hate you for this. He will understand."

"How... How did you know I'm worried about that? I didn't say anything about it."

"I know, but considering the past... I just knew. It will be fine, I can feel it. You'll have time to talk to him about it tonight if we leave here soon. Everything is all finished outside. Would you like to come say goodbye?"

Elphaba nodded and followed Fiyero outside. She stopped a good distance away from the gravesite, and Fiyero came to a halt directly beside her. Neither of them said anything; They simply stood looking at Boq's final resting place. Elphaba's eyes were filled with sorrow, and still a good measure of regret. Fiyero was very subdued, and seemed weighed down by sadness of his own. Elphaba knew without asking that it had to do not only with Boq, but Fiyero's thoughts of his mother.

At last, it was time to go. Elphaba and Fiyero went silently to their carriage and climbed in, anxious to return home to the children, who had yet to be told that they would soon be making a trip to the castle. The coming days were sure to be emotional and confusing. Elphaba felt reasonably sure the children would adjust, and maybe even enjoy being real princesses after a while. As for herself, she still had deep reservations about being queen. She resolved not to think much about that until it was necessary. For now her more important job was to be there for Fiyero to help him deal with the loss of his mother, which loomed over them all.

Epilogue

Elphaba, Fiyero and the children made their journey to the castle the very next day, after lengthy and tearful goodbyes to family and friends in the city. The trip seemed shorter than usual, mostly because everyone except Talissana was not looking forward to arriving. When they pulled up to the castle entrance, Tali jumped down from the carriage immediately, but none of the others moved for a moment or two.

It was Graiya who climbed down next, waiting to offer help carrying in some of the many bags they had brought. Soon they had all disembarked and were carrying everything inside. A couple of the castle's servants came out to help, but there was no sign of the King, which didn't surprise anyone.

Once the largest of the bags had been taken inside, Fiyero left the rest of the family in the entryway and went in search of his father. Talissana went off to the gardens to play almost without asking permission, prompting Stavna to go with her without being asked. Graiya alone remained with her mother, helping her take their things upstairs and get them put away.

"Mama, do you think I can have the same room I've always used when we have visited here?" Graiya knew her question was unimportant, but was trying to distract her mother, get her to say more than two or three words at a time.

"I suppose so," Elphaba muttered. "You'll have your pick of the rooms here, now."

"Mama, will Poppy still live here with us? This is really his home too. He can stay, can't he?"

"Yes, I'm sure Papa has already told him that." Elphaba paused, looking around for something she couldn't locate. "I think I left something in the carriage. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Elphaba hurried back to the downstairs and outside, silently wondering how she could have left the box containing Nessa's shoesbehind. They had been stored under the carriage seat to keep them from moving around or being damaged. As Elphaba reached under the seat to retrieve the box, she feared for a moment that they weren't where she'd left them. Then, her fingers found the handle of the box, and Elphaba released a breath she hadn't known she was holding.

Elphaba turned back to return to the indoors, and paused to look around her. The day was sunny and warm, the gardens in full bloom. She heard the sounds of her two younger children playing, and could safely assume they were chasing the butterflies that abounded in the castle gardens. Then, she looked up and saw Graiya waving at her from the upstairs window. Just for a moment, Elphaba saw her daughter as she would look in several years. Taller and maturing into a beautiful young lady. And wearing an obviously new Shiz University uniform. In a blink, the image was gone.... but the brief vision gave Elphaba hope for the future, to know that her children had such opportunities ahead of them.


End file.
